E 

(bOI 


V I N  D  I  C  A  T I O  N 


BRIG.  GEN.  J.'MTOSTRY, 


QUARTERMASTER  WKSTKRN  D 


Bancroft  Library 


BRIGADIER  GENERAL  M.  C.  MEIGS, 

Quarter  Master  General  U.  S.  A.,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

ST.  Louis,  June  2d,  1862. 
SIR: 

It  is  known  to  you  that  in  November  last,  on  my  return  from 
the  Arkansas  border,  where  I  had  been  in  command  of  a  division  of 
General  Fremont's  corps  tfarmee,  I  was  arrested  by  order  of  General 
McClellan  and  was  placed  in  close  confinement  at  the  St.  Louis  Ar- 
senal. The  order  forbade  communication  with  any  one.  Be- 
fore my  own  arrest,  my  chief  clerk  and  my  cashier  were  imprisoned, 
and  the  books  and  papers  relating  to  my  administration  of  affairs,  as 
Chief  Quartermaster  of  this  Department,  were  seized  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  irresponsible  persons,  beyond  my  control. 

Up  to  this  day,  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  six  months,  I  have  not 
been  informed  upon  what  ground  my  arrest  was  made  ;  and,  so  far 
as  I  know,  charges  have  not  yet  been  preferred  against  me,  unless 
the  vagaries  of  Mr.  S.  T.  Glover,  hereinafter  alluded  to,  are  to  be 
considered  charges. 

The  Articles  of  War  (art.  79)  in  providing  that  "  no  officer  or 
soldier  who  shall  be  put  in  arrest  shall  continue  in  confinement  more 
than  eight  days,  or  until  a  court  martial  can  be  assembled,"  seem  to 
contemplate  a  speedy  hearing ;  but,  to  accelerate  matters,  I  asked 
for  a  trial,  or  a  court  of  enquiry,  immediately  after  my  arrest. 
Some  weeks  having  elapsed  and  no  response  to  my  request  being 
given,  I  again  demanded  a  hearing  in  some  form,  and  have  since 
made  repeated  applications  of  the  same  import,  through  the  agency 
of  friends,  to  the  President,  Secretary  of  War,  and  the  Judge  Advo- 
cate General.  All  these  efforts  to  obtain  a  hearing  have  been  in 
vain  and  I  am  still  under  arrest,  though  on  the  22d  February  last 
my  limits  were  enlarged  to  this  city. 

In  the  mean  time,  besides  individual  assaults  upon  my  character, 
portions  of  the  public  press  have  assailed  me,  and  the  most  foul  and 
malicious  slanders  concerning  me  have  been  made  public  in  two 


Congressional  reports,— one  being  that  of  the  Special  Investigating 
Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  known  as  the  "  Van 
Wyck  "  Committee,  and  the  other  that  of  the  Commission  on  War 
Claims  at  St.  Louis. 

I  am  not  content  to  rest  longer  under  such  unjust  and  injurious 
imputations  as  have  been  cast  upon  me  ;  but  feel  it  my  duty  to  my- 
self and  my  family  to  vindicate  my  honor  and  to  expose  the  malice, 
the  corruption  and  the  shameless  violation  of  all  rules  of  justice  and 
even  of  decency  which  have  been  exhibited  by  the  Committee  and 
Commission  and  by  individuals  who  have  deemed  it  their  interest  to 
attempt  to  crush  me.  I  therefore  avail  myself  of  my  official  con- 
nexion with  the  Quartermaster's  Department  to  give  to  you,  its 
chief,  a  brief  history  of  my  transactions  and  of  the  persecution  to 
which  I  have  been  subjected. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  rebellion,  Messrs.  F.  P.  Blair,  Jr., 
Samuel  T.  Glover,  James  0.  Broadhead,  John  How,  0.  D.  Filley, 
and  one  Witzig,  organized  themselves  as  a  "Safety  Committee"  at 
St.  Louis.  They  were  utterly  ignorant  of  all  that  pertains  to  the 
conduct  of  military  matters,  but  managed  to  obtain  and  assumed 
large  control  in  this  department.  They  made  and  unmade  Generals 
as  they  pleased,  and  the  frequent  changes  which  occurred  in  the 
command  were  in  great  measure  attributable  to  their  influence. 
The  shameless  interference  with  the  command  of  General  Harney  by 
these  parties,  of  which  the  public  has  been  as  yet  but  partially  in- 
formed, exhibits  the  vicious  influence  of  this  "  Safety  Committee" 
and  their  supple  instruments.  They  endeavored  to  dictate  to  Gen. 
Frdmont  the  course  which  he  was  to  pursue,  and  when  they  found  that 
he  would  not  countenance  their  attempt  to  direct  the  administration 
of  affairs  for  which  he  alone  was  responsible,  they  plotted  his  ruin. 

I  was  not  aware  of  the  existence  of  the  "  Safety  Committee  " 
until  a  comparatively  recent  period ;  but  I  now  know  that  I  am  not 
a  little  indebted  to  their  machinations  for  the  indignities  which  have 
been  heaped  upon  me.  In  order  to  break  down  Gen.  Fremont,  they 
probably  found  it  necessary  to  assail  me,  and  to  make  the  assault 
successful  they  left  no  mean  or  cowardly  expedient  untried. 

The  spirit  which  governed  this  "Safety  Committee"  was  well 
exhibited  by  Glover,  who  was  the  attorney  of  the  Commission  to  ad- 
just War  Claims  at  St.  Louis.  I  have  recently  been  informed 
that,  before  he  commenced  the  examination  of  my  transactions, 
he  declared  publicly  that  1  was  a  "  God  damned  scoundrel,  and 
ought  to  be  shot."  P.  A.  Ladue,  Esq.,  a  banker  in  this  city,  also 


authorizes  me  to  state,  that,  after  examining  him  as  a  witness? 
Glover  remarked  to  the  Board  in  a  tone  of  disappointment,  "  By 
God  !  we  can't  prove  anything  against  McKinstry."  He  was  evi- 
dently chagrined  that  he  had  failed,  after  having  prostituted  his 
official  position,  by  using  it  to  further  certain  political  and  personal 
designs  of  himself  and  associates,  without  intending  or  desiring  to 
ascertain  the  truth  or  to  do  justice. 

Influences  of  this  nature  surrounded  the  Adjutant  General  dur- 
ing his  visit  to  the  West,  and  led  him  to  make  the  positive  but  un- 
founded assertion  in  his  report  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  that  my 
division  was  better  supplied  with  transportation  than  any  other  in 
General  Fremont's  army.  General  Thomas  did  not  see  my  division, 
and  there  can  be  no  excuse  for  his  statement  if  he  were  not  himself 
deceived.  I  refer  to  communications  numbered  from  1  to  6  (inclu- 
sive) in  the  appendix,  to  show  how  untrue  the  allegation  was. 

With  the  purposes  and  in  the  frame  of  mind  above  mentioned, 
Mr.  Glover  undertook  to  guide  the  secret  workings  of  a  Star-cham. 
ber.  He  and  his  comrades  found  willing  coadjutors  and  tools  in  the 
Investigating  Committee  and  the  Commission.  Mr.  Washburne, 
while  on  his  way  to  St.  Louis,  declared,  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Flanagan,  now  clerk  in  the  Quartermaster's  office  at  Arlington,  Va., 
that  he  was  "  after  McKinstry."  My  character  was  to  be  blasted, 
and  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  this  modern  Inquisition  heard  no 
testimony  save  that  which  suited  their  basely  preconceived  plans.  It 
would  strike  most  persons  that  I  ought  to  have  been  called  upon  for 
explanations,  if  an  honest  investigation  were  intended.  To  show  my 
desire  and  readiness  to  have  my  official  conduct  thoroughly  examin- 
ed, I  furnish  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  addressed  by  me, 
while  in  the  field,  to  Mr.  Clements,  my  chief  clerk,  as  soon  as  1  was 
informed  that  the  Van  Wyck  Committee  were  at  St.  Louis. 

"SYRACUSE,  Mo.,  October  22,  1861. 

DEAR  CLEMENTS  :  Do  whatever  you  think  proper,  and  act  for  me 
and  in  my  name  before  the  Investigating  Committee,  now  in  session 
in  St.  Louis.  If  you  have  the  opportunity,  insist  upon  the  most 
rigid  examination.  You  know  the  business  has  been  conducted 
honestly,  and  with  an  eye  single  to  the  interest  of  the  Government. 
I  shall  march  to-morrow  *  *  * 

In  haste,  yours  truly, 

j.  MCKINSTRY." 

The  readiness  of  Mr.  Clements  to  attend  upon  that  committee,  is 
shown  by  his  letters.  (Appendix,  No.  7,  8  &  9.)  That  committee, 
however,  closed  the  door  upon  all  fair  and  impartial  investigations. 


They  were  "  after  McKinstry,"  and  the  sequel  shows  that  they  did 
not,  for  an  instant,  lose  sight  of  their  purpose. 

The  officers  of  the  department  at  Washington  evidently  thought  I 
was  entitled  to  a  fair  hearing,  and  intended  I  should  have  one  ;  for 
the  Adjutant  General  sent  an  order  to  General  Totten,  which  was 
afterwards  turned  over  to  Mr.  S.  T.  Glover,  requiring  that  I  should 
be  invited  to  explain  to  the  commission,  if  I  saw  fit,  "  any  account 
or  transaction  that  seemed  to  need  it."  This  order  was  known  to 
the  commissioners,  but  they  did  not,  nor  did  Mr.  Glover,  ever  call 
on  me  for  any  explanations ;  nor  did  they  afford  me  any  opportunity 
to  rebut  any  of  their  so-called  proof s,  taken  ex  parte,  and  in  secret. 
Of  course  I  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  I  was  on  trial  before  this 
commission  which  was  appointed  ostensibly  to  examine  and  adjust 
claims  upon  the  Government ;  indeed,  at  the  inception  of  their 
sittings,  it  was  currently  reported  that  the  commissioners  had  stated 
that  they  had  nothing  to  do  with  any  investigation  into  my  affairs ; 
that  they  had  no  control  over  my  books  and  papers,  &c.  To  show 
their  shuffling  and  double  dealing  in  this  matter,  as  well  as  to  show 
my  readiness  and  desire  to  have  my  transactions  investigated,  (I 
cared  not,  if  fairly  done,  by  whom,)  I  submit  letters  from  General 
Curtis,  the  commissioners,  Mr.  Glover,  my  counsel  Judge  Krum, 
and  myself.  (Appendix,  Nos.  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18, 
and  19.) 

It  is  only  surprising  to  me  that,  with  the  means  at  Mr.  Glover's 
hands,  he  and  the  committee  and  commission  did  not  fabricate  more 
calumnies  than  they  did ;  and  I  am  astonished  that,  after  all  their 
labors,  their  attorney  could  represent  to  the  Government  that  I  had 
been  guilty  of  none  but  the  following  alleged  offenses,  viz : 

1.  That  I  paid  too  much  for  horses,  and  could  have  bought  them 
for  less. 

2.  That  horses  were  offered  me  at  a  lower  price  than  $119,  and 
that  the  owner  was  compelled  to  sell  them  to  a  contractor,  because 
I  would  not  give  him  an  inspector.      Similar  charges  are  made 
about  mules. 

3.  That  I  paid  too  much  for  camp  kettles,  mess  pans,  and  tents. 

4.  That  I  bought  bad  shoes. 

5.  That  I  gave  an  undue  price  for  axes,  &c. 

These,  I  am  informed,  are  all  the  accusations  which  Mr.  Glover, 
unscrupulous  and  unprincipled  as  lie  is,  was  able  to  produce.  It 
will  be  seen  that  no  one  of  them  imputes  fraudulent  conduct  to  me, 
but,  at  the  worst,  they  amount  merely  to  charges  of  carelessness,  or 


want  of  judgment.  A  sufficient  answer  to  them  would  be  a  com- 
parison between  the  prices  paid  by  me  and  those  paid  by  my  prede- 
cessors and  successors  in  this  market,  and  by  other  Quartermasters 
in  other  markets.  And  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  practice  pur- 
sued by  me,  in  transacting  the  business  of  the  Quartermaster's 
department,  which  has  been  made  the  theme  of  so  much  misrepre- 
sentation and  abuse,  has  been  followed  by  my  successor ;  and, 
further,  I  make  bold  to  state,  without  fear  of  successful  contradic- 
tion, that  the  vast  purchases  of  army  supplies  made  by  me,  under 
the  most  difficult  and  pressing  exigencies  of  the  service,  were  at 
prices  more  favorable  to  the  Government  than  were  paid  at  the  same 
time  in  any  other  department ;  and,  that  the  prices  paid  by  me  do 
not,  as  a  general  rule,  exceed  those  paid  by  my  successors  for  army 
supplies  furnished  to  this  department  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances. I  do  not  fear  to  challenge  investigation  and  comparison. 

After  all  that  has  occurred,  been  said  and  done,  and  left  undone, 
I  shall  be  excused,  I  trust,  if  I  go  further  than  at  the  first  blush  may 
seem  necessary,  and  notice  the  more  prominent  calumnies  that  have 
been  attempted  to  be  heaped  upon  me  by  the  Yan  Wyck  Committee, 
and  the  Commission  on  War  Claims.  It  will  be  recollected  that  the 
method  of  business  adopted  and  pursued  by  me  is  made  the  subject 
of  comment  in  both  the  reports  referred  to.  It  is  alleged  that  I 
violated  the  law  and  usages  of  the  Quartermaster's  department,  by 
making  purchases  without  first  advertising  for  proposals.  As  this  is 
the  groundwork  upon  which  the  greater  portion,  if  not  all  the  ac- 
cusations are  based,  I  will  speak  of  this  matter  in  this  connexion. 

I  will  remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  this  method  has  had  the 
sanction  of  the  Government  since  the  commencement  of  the  present 
war.  At  Washington,  at  New  York,  at  Philadelphia,  at  Cincinnati, 
at  Louisville,  and  all  other  places  where  large  quantities  of  supplies 
have  been  bought,  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  procure  them  in 
any  other  way  ;  and,  it  is  another  singular  fact,  that  I,  of  all  the 
Quartermasters  in  the  United  States,  am  the  only  one  in  whom  the 
practice  is  thought,  by  these  wiseacres,  to  be  reprehensible.  Pre- 
vious to  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  St.  Louis  had  not  been  a 
depot  for  army  supplies.  It  was  a  point  at  which  purchases  had 
been  made,  under  the  orders  of  the  Quartermaster  General  to  fill 
the  requisitions  of  officers  at  other  posts.  Timely  notice  of  these 
requisitions  was  always  given,  and  no  injury  to  the  service,  or  in- 
convenience to  the  troops,  was  occasioned  by  strictly  pursuing  the 
course  of  advertising  for  proposals,  and  afterwards  making  con- 


8 

tracts  for  the  articles  to  be  purchased.  This  was  invariably  done 
while  we  had  a  regularly  organized  force  of  a  known  limit — and, 
under  similar  circumstances  could  always  be  done ;  but  the  circum- 
stances under  which  1  deviated  from  that  course,  made  the  deviation 
necessary,  and  it  was  always,  either  under  express  orders,  which  I 
was  bound  to  obey,  or  was  authorized  by  the  army  regulations. 

The  President's  proclamation  of  April  15, 1861,  asking  for  seventy- 
five  thousand  three  months'  volunteers,  and  the  subsequent  call  for 
volunteers  for  three  years,  or  the  war,  worked  a  radical  change  in 
the  character  of  the  business  to  be  transacted  in  this  department,  as 
was  the  case,  no  doubt,  in  others. 

A  few  weeks  sufficed  to  crowd  the  city  and  the  arsenal  with  new 
levies,  who  were  entirely  unequipped  and  for  whose  unexpected  ne- 
cessities no  preparations  had  been  made.  I  was  destitute  of  every 
thing  required  for  their  use.  I  could  expect  little  or  nothing  from 
the  East,  as  the  energies  of  the  Government  were  then  taxed  to  sup- 
ply the  wants  of  the  vast  army  collecting  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
and  Virginia.  My  quarterly  abstract  of  property  for  the  quarter 
ending  June  30th,  will  bear  me  out  in  the  assertion  that  on  April 
15th,  1861,  I  had  no  clothing,  camp  or  garrison  equipage  on  hand, 
and  no  horses,  mules  or  wagons  for  the  supply  of  these  troops.  The 
respective  governments  of  the  loyal  States  aided  largely  in  procuring 
outfits  for  their  own  volunteers.  In  Missouri,  this  could  not  be  done. 
The  State  Government  was  disloyal,  and  many  of  its  citizens  were  in 
open  rebellion  against  the  Federal  authority.  To  add  to  the  embar- 
rassment, I  had  no  money  with  which  to  make  purchases,  and  the 
Government  could  not  go  into  the  market  and  buy  on  credit  as 
responsible  individuals  could.  I  mean  that  small  dealers,  or  even 
large  ones,  who  were  compelled  to  turn  their  capital  over  frequent- 
ly, or  to  be  certain  of  receiving  their  dues  at  a  fixed  time,  would  not 
sell  to  the  Government  on  credit ;  but  the  same  parties  would  have 
gladly  made  time  sales  to  any  leading  mercantile  house  of  reputed 
solvency.  I  was  not  able  to  assure  any  one,  that  I  could  certainly  pay 
him  upon  any  fixed  day  or  in  any  given  month,  and  without  such  as- 
surance merchants  were  generally  unwilling  to  part  with  their  wares. 

For  the  same  reason  it  was  useless  to  advertise  for  proposals, 
and  often  times  the  "  public  exigency  "  (Rev.  Regulations  §  1048, 
p.  155)  would  not  permit  the  delay.  The  credit  of  the  Government 
was  low  arid  the  state  of  the  market  was  such  that  proposals  would 
have  been  made  only  by  those  much  abused  "  middle-men"  who 
could  raise  the  means  wherewith  to  buy  for  cash  and  wait  indefinitely 


9 

for  their  pay.  It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  remark,  that  proposals 
under  such  circumstances  would  certainly  not  be  as  favorable  to  the 
Government,  as  bargains  which  could  be  made  privately  with  the 
very  parties  who  would  become  bidders.  It  certainly  appeared  to 
me  then  as  it  does  now,  that  to  employ  these  men  of  capital,  or  who 
could  command  capital,  to  step  in  and  aid  the  Government  by  mak- 
ing purchases  either  for  cash  or  on  their  own  credit,  and  run- 
ning their  own  risk  as  to  the  time  of  payment,  and  a  possible  depre- 
ciation of  the  public  funds,  with  the  promise  of  a  fair  mercantile 
profit  as  their  compensation,  was  the  most  judicious  and  economical 
plan  to  pursue. 

The  above  remarks  apply  to  a  period  subsequent  to  June  30th, 
1861 ;  for  during  the  whole  quarter  ending  on  that  day,  I  purchased 
nothing  but  four  thousand  canteens,  four  thousand  haversacks,  eight 
hundred  and  forty-seven  blankets,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  com- 
mon tents,  four  hundred  camp  kettles,  four  hundred  messpans  (the 
two  last  items  by  the  way  were  bought  of  0.  D.  Filley,  one  of  the 
"  Committee  of  Safety,")  some  axes  and  other  hardware.  The 
demand  for  these  things  was  sudden  and  pressing ;  a  day's  delay 
would  cause  suffering  or  retard  operations ;  and  the  "  public  exigen- 
cy "  was  such  that  I  would  have  violated  my  duty  had  I  not  bought 
them  as  I  did. 

I  was  expecting  to  receive  from  the  large  government  depots  at 
the  east,  clothing,  camp  and  garrison  equipage  and  to  have  prepar- 
ation made  for  transportation,  before  General  Lyon  would  move  his 
troops.  There  appeared  to  be  no  probability  that  he  would  take 
the  field  until  these  supplies  could  be  obtained  in  the  ordinary  man- 
ner. Gov.  Jackson  by  his  declaration  of  war,  on  June  12th,  1861, 
caused  General  Lyon  to  send  SigeFs  column  to  Springfield,  and  to 
proceed  in  person  with  another  up  the  Missouri  river,  on  the  18th 
and  14th  of  the  same  month.  Their  land  transportation  had  to  be 
hired,  few  tents  and  no  clothing  had  been  issued  to  them,  and  in 
July,  and  from  that  time  onward,  their  requisitions  called  for  such 
immediate  attention  that  there  was  no  time  at  which  the  "  public 
exigencies  "  did  not  demand  the  purchase  of  the  articles  they  need- 
ed, as  quickly  as  I  could  procure  them.  In  July,  too,  before  Gen. 
Frdmont's  arrival,  troops  were  dispatched,  from  the  city  and  arsenal, 
to  points  threatened  with  danger,  at  a  moment's  notice.  It  invari- 
ably happened,  that  the  first  intimation  I  would  receive  of  a  contem- 
plated movement,  would  be  a  requisition  and  order  for  the  instant 
supply  of  quartermaster's  stores. 


10 

I  have  it  in  my  power  to  show  not  only  what  efforts  I  made,  and 
how  cautiously  I  proceeded,  but  how  strictly  I  obeyed  my  orders, 
and  how  fully  my  course,  in  this  matter,  was  sanctioned  by  my 
superiors.  I  will  call  attention  to  the  following  copies  of  letters, 
written  prior  to  July  26,  the  date  of  General  Fremont's  assumption 

of  the  command : 

By  Telegraph  from 
PHILADELPHIA,  April  27,  1861. 
To  MAJOR  J.  McKiNSTRY,  A.  Q.  M. 

My  orders  are  to  furnish  the  Militia  with  such  fatigue  clothing  as  can  be 
spared.    The  Militia  of  this  State  and  others  are  making  clothing  for  themselves. 
I  cannot  send  you  the  thousand  (1,000)  suits  of  fatigue  uniforms  at  present, 
and  cannot  say  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  do  it  or  not. 

You  are  hereby  authorized  to  furnish  the  regular  supplies  of  camp  equipage, 
including  tents. 

If  you  have  them  made  in  St.  Louis  write  me  fully,  and  telegraph  if  you  can 
procure  the  camp  equipage. 

(Signed,)  CHAS.  THOMAS, 

A.  Q.  M.  General. 


ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE^  ) 
ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  29th,  1861.'  $ 
SIR: 

I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  herewith  an  estimate  of  funds.  Demands  are 
daily  being  made  upon  me,  by  the  volunteer  regiments  mustered  into  service  in 
this  city  and  the  State  of  Illinois. 

To  enable  me  to  meet  them,  and  in  the  absence  of  a  precise  knowledge  of 
what  they  want,  my  estimate  is  general,  for  so  much  money. 

If  it  is  decided  that  I  am  to  to  furnish  the  clothing  and  camp  equipage  they 
require,  the  business  would  be  facilitated  by  orders  to  the  department  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  to  meet  promptly  my  estimates  for  tent  cloth,  &c.,  &c.,  to 
be  sent  by  express. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

To  the  Quartermaster  General,  Bt.  Major,  A.  Q.  M. 

U.  S.  A.,  Washington,  D.  C. 


ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE,  > 
ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  30th,  1861.    ) 
COLONEL  : 

A  tent  manufacturer  here  says  he  alone  holds  the  right  to  make  the 
Sibley  tent,  and  that  his  prices  are  the  same  as  those  charged  in  Philadelphia, 
with  transportation  added.  I  can  make  the  old  army  tents  at  reasonable  rates, 
and  shall  proceed  to  do  so. 

Clothing  could  be  manufactured  here  by  the  wives  and  daughters  of  volunteers 
in  the  service,  at  reasonable  rates,  provided  the  materials  be  sent  me,  from 


11 

your  city  or  New  York.  I  understand  from  the  Hon.  Mr.  Blair  that  he  has 
suggested  this  arrangement  to  the  Secretary  of  War.  If  the  pressure  upon  the 
department  at  Philadelphia  is  too  great,  to  enable  it  to  meet  the  wants  of  this 
department,  and  if  the  above  arrangement  meets  your  approval,  I  can  get  to 
work  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  the  first  consignment  of  cloth. 

I  am,  Colonel,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

Col.  CHAS.  THOMAS,  A.  Q.  M.  General,  Bvt.  Major,  A.  Q.  M. 

U.  S.  A.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE,  > 
ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  1st,  1861.      ) 
COLONEL  : 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  telegram  sent  you  to-day.  "  Will  you  send 
me,  by  express,  cloth  sufficient  to  manufacture  1,000  suits  of  fatigue  clothing, 
and  also  tent  cloth  sufficient  for  500  common  tents." 

In  explanation  of  the  above,  it  is  proper  that  I  should  say  to  you  that  the 
volunteers  mustered  in  the  service  here  are  all  from  this  city,  and  all  poor  men. 
Unlike  other  States,  no  enthusiasm  or  popular  feeling  on  the  side  of  the  Govern- 
ment has  been  awakened,  leading  people  to  subscribe  money  in  aid  of  the 
volunteers ;  hence  it  becomes  important  that  the  Government  should  aid  them 
promptly,  with  the  allowance  they  are  entitled  to  under  the  law. 

If  you  can  furnish  the  cloth,  I  can  clothe  them  at  prices  approximating,  very 
closely,  to  the  Philadelphia  standard ;  and  its  making  up  will  materially  aid  the 
wives  and  families  of  the  volunteers,  whom  I  propose  to  employ. 

I  am,  Colonel,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

Col.  CHAS.  THOMAS,  A.  Q.  M.  G.,  Bt.  Major,  A.  Q.  M. 

U.  S.  A.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE,  ) 
MAJOR  :  ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  26th,  1861.      5 

I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  herewith  an   estimate  of  funds  required  at 
this  station.     The  large  number  of  troops  (10,000  men)  stationed  here,  require, 
as  you  are  aware,  large  amounts  of  supplies,  and,  in  the  present  depressed  state 
of  business  affairs,  they  can  be  purchased  for  cash  far  below  the  market. 
The  difference  of  exchange  between  this  city  and  New  York  is  15  per  cent. 
If  I  have  to  purchase  the  supplies  required  on  credit,  an  additional  10  per 
cent,  will  have  to  be  added.     So  you  will  readily  perceive  the  advantage  to  the 
Government  in  purchasing  for  cash. 

I  am,  Major,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

Major  E.  SIBLEY,  Acting  Q.  M.  General,  A.  Q.  M. 

U.  S.  A.,  Washington  City,  D.  C. 

QUARTERMASTER  GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 
SIR  :  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  June  4,  1861.  ) 

There  were  at  Fort  Ripley,  on  the  30th  of  April  last,  178  mules, 
7  oxen,  37  wagons,  and  2  ambulances,  which,  with  the  exception  of  the  means 


12 

of  transportation  authorized  by  General  Orders  No.  13,  War  Department,  June 
17th,  1859,  are  available  for  the  use  of  the  troops,  if  required  at  St.  Louis,  or 
if  not,  for  the  forces  further  south. 

You  will  please  order  them  to  St.  Louis,  to  be  disposed  of  as  the  Com- 
manding General  may  direct. 

You  are  authorized,  without  reference  to  this  office,  under  his  direction, 
to  procure  such  means  of  transportation  as  he  may  deem  necessary,  practising  a 
sound  economy  in  making  your  purchases,  and  if  the  exigency  is  not  immediate 
or  pressing,  conforming  to  the  law  and  regulations  in  relation  to  the  manner 
of  making  purchases  and  contracts  for  supplies. 

Ambulances  and  transport  carts  will,  probably,  also  be  required,  especially 
in  the  event  of  a  forward  movement  of  the  troops.  If  such  be  the  case,  please 
advise  me,  and  I  will,  as  soon  as  it  can  be  done,  send  you  one  of  each  kind  of 
ambulance  designated  in  General  Orders,  No.  1,  January  19th,  1860,  to  be  used 
in  the  public  service,  as  models  from  which  others  can  be  manufactured  in  St. 
Louis.  In  the  meantime,  if  they  should  be  wanted,  you  will,  of  course,  for  tem- 
porary purposes,  hire  such  spring  carriages  as  may  be  necessary. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

E.  S.  SIBLEY, 
Act.  Qr.  M.  Gen.  A.  I. 

Bvt.  Major  J.  McKiNSTRT, 

Asst.  Qr.  Mr.  U.  S.  A.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


QUARTERMASTER  GENERAL'S  OFFICE,          ) 
WASHINGTON  CITY,  June  25,  1861.  ) 
Major  J.  McKiNSTRY,  Quartermaster,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
SIR: 

Your  letter  of  the  18th,  enclosing  correspondence  with  Adjutant  General 
Harding,  is  received. 

The  Department  approves  your  course,  as  shown  in  these  letters,  but  desires, 
that  while  economy  is  right,  there  be  no  room  left  for  charging  the  failure  of 
any  military  movement  upon  a  want  of  promptness  and  efficiency  in  the  Quar- 
termaster's Department. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed,)  M.  C.  MEIGS, 

Quartermaster  General. 


ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE,          ) 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  26,  1861.      ) 
GENERAL  : 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  a  copy  of  your  telegram  of  the 

8th  mst.,  (the  telegraphic  despatch  was  not  received,)  instructing  me  to  sup- 

^eneral  Lyon's  movements  by  all  necessary  aid  from  this  Department,  and 

o  advise,  &c.,  in  order  that  collision  may  be  avoided,  and  improper  orders, 

through  inexperience,  be  prevented. 

The  course  therein  indicated  I  have,  from  the  first,  considered  it  my  duty  to 


13 

pursue.    Nothing  has  been  neglected  that  could  be  done,  without  exceeding  the 
power  given  me. 

But  you  will  readily  understand,  that  in  so  hastily  an  organized  force  as 
that  here  collected,  and  officered,  to  a  great  extent,  by  men  who  do  not  under- 
stand the  necessary  regulations  that  govern  the  business  of  this  Department, 
some  confused  ideas  exist  among  them.  And  it  is  not  strange,  that  attempts  to 
instruct  them  in  the  regulations  of  the  Department  are  often  mistaken  for  oppo- 
sition, and  furnish  groundless  cause  of  complaint. 

My  regard  for  the  interest  of  the  Department,  and  for  my  instructions,  de- 
mand that  I  should  require  of  them  that  the  business  of  this  office  should  be 
done  in  a  proper  manner,  and  in  strict  conformity  with  the  regulations,  leaving 
responsibilities  to  be  assumed  by  those  who  create  them. 
I  am,  General,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

Bvt.  MaJLT,  A.  Q.  M. 
Brig.  Gen.  M.  C.  MEIGS, 

Q.  M.  G.,  U.  S.  A.,  Washington,  D.  C. 


ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE,          > 
ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  26,  1861.      \ 
COLONEL  : 

I  enclose  herewith,  for  your  information,  a  copy  of  a  communication 
received  from  the  Quartermaster  General,  and  have  to  state  that  you  will  find 
me  at  all  times  anxious  and  willing  to  aid,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  any  line  of 
policy  the  authorities  have  decided  upon  pursuing.  In  the  absence  of  any  offi- 
cer of  my  Department  that  can  be  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Arsenal  I  shall  keep 
there  an  experienced  clerk  to  act  as  my  agent. 

Requisitions   and  wants   made   known    to   this    office   will    receive    prompt 
attention. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 
Bvt.  Major  and  A.  Q.  M. 
Col.  CHESTER  HARDING, 
Act-  Assist.  Adj.   Gen.,  Arsenal,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


By  Telegraph  from 
WASHINGTON,  June  29,  1861. 
To  Major  J.  MCKINSTRY  : 

Your  telegraph  of  the  28th  in  relation  to  transportation 

wagons,  mules  or  horses,  for  two  light  batteries,  ten  companies  of  cavalry,  and 
five  regiments  of  infantry,  at  Cairo,  is  received.  Fill  Gen.  McClellan's  requisi- 
tions as  soon  as  possible. 

M.  C.  MEIGS, 

Q.  M.  General. 


14 

By  Telegraph  from 
GRAFTON,  Va.,  Jun3  28,  1861. 

To  Major  J.  McKmsxRY  : 

Please  provide,  at  earliest  possible  day,  wagons  and 

mules,  or  horses,  for  two  light  batteries,  two  companies  of  cavalry  and  five 
regiments  of  infantry,  at  Cairo. 

(Signed,)  G.  B.  McCLELLAN, 

Mai.    Gen.    U.   S.   A. 


By  Telegraph  from 
WASHINGTON,  July  6,  1861. 
To  Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  McKiNSTRY,  A.  Q.  M. : 

Procure  and  send  to  Holla,  Missouri,  as 

many  wagons  and  teams  as  may  be  required  to  transport  supplies  from  that  place 
to  Springfield,  for  General  Lyon's  command.  Consult  Assistant  Adjutant  Gene- 
ral Harding  as  to  the  number  that  will  be  necessary,  and  spare  no  exertions  to 
forward  them  at  once.  Make  arrangements  also  to  supply  the  animals  with 
forage,  at  Holla,  and  while  employed  in  transporting  supplies  to  Springfield, 

funds  will  be  immediately  forwarded  to  you. 

M.  C.  MEIGS, 

Q.  M.  General. 


ARSENAL,  ST.  Louis,  July  11,  1861. 
MAJOR  : 

I  wrote  to  Frank  Blair  asking  him  to  see  the  Secretary  of  War  and  Chief 
of  Ordinance  about  furnishing  horses  for  BuelPs  battery,  which  is  needed  imme- 
diately. He  answers  :  "  In  regard  to  the  purchase  of  horses  for  BuelPs  battery, 
the  Secretary  and  Quartermaster  General  inform  me  that  ample  authority  has 
been  sent  to  the  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis  to  buy  anything  and  everything  that 
is  needed  for  the  equipment  and  transportation  of  the  troops  in  Missouri,  without 
reference  to  the  Department  here,  but  upon  the  simple  requisition  of  the  Com- 
mander of  the  troops  in  Missouri.  I  am  authorized  by  the  Department  to  say, 
that  if  wagons  or  horses  or  anything  else  is  wanted,  that  the  Commander  of  the 
troops  has  only  to  make  requisitions  and  it  will  be  instantly  complied  with.  If 
you  will  show  this  note  to  McKinstry  I  am  very  certain  you  will  have  no 
trouble." 

Does  not  this  leave  artillery  horses  in  the  same  category  as  before  ?  Or  would 
you  conceive  this  to  be  authority  to  pass  the  ordnance  by,  and  buy  as  Quarter- 
master ? 

I  called  to  see  you,  and  would  be  much  obliged  if  you  would  give  me  your  ad- 
vice and  opinion  on  the  subject. 

Very  respectfully, 

Major  J.  McKiNSTRT,  U.  S.  A.  C.  HARDING,  JR. 


It  was  not  my  desire  lo  purchase  without  advertising  for  proposals, 
in  any  instance ;  and,  until  General  Fremont's  arrival,  I  did  so  only 
to  the  limited  extent  and  under  the  circumstances  above  mentioned. 


15 

After  he  assumed  the  command,  the  operations  of  the  department 
became  immensely  large,  and  the  public  exigencies,  as  a  conse- 
quence, were  more  imperative. 

He  soon  collected  a  force  that  was  enormous  in  comparison  with 
the  resources  of  the  Department.  He  had  in  his  Department  about 
eighty  thousand  troops.  The  necessity  of  purchasing,  without  ad- 
vertisement, whenever  and  wherever  supplies  could  be  obtained,  now 
became  constant,  and  was  recognized,  not  only  by  the  Commanding 
General,  but  by  the  highest  military  authorities  in  the  land,  and  was 
in  accordance  with  paragraph  1048  of  the  Regulations  above  refer- 
red to  and  here  copied  : 

"  When  immediate  delivery  or  performance  is  required  by  the  pub- 
lic exigency,  the  article  or  service  required  may  be  procured  by  open 
purchase  or  contract,  at  the  places  and  in  the  mode  in  which  such 
articles  are  usually  bought  and  sold,  or  such  services  engaged,  be- 
tween individuals." 

On  the  29th  July,  1861,  I  was  ordered  to  have  at  command, 
"  during  the  next  fortnight,"  clothing,  camp  and  garrison  equipage 
for  twenty-three  regiments  of  Infantry,  three  regiments  of  Cavalry, 
and  one  regiment  of  Artillery.  On  the  same  day,  I  was  directed  to 
purchase  five  hundred  sets  of  cavalry  equipments  for  "to-morrow." 
August  20th,  I  was  ordered  to  purchase,  in  this  city,  and  have 
ready  to  forward  at  once,  clothing  for  six  thousand  men.  August 
21st,  to  purchase  one  thousand  pants  and  the  same  number  of  jack, 
ets.  September  4th,  to  contract  for  not  less  than  one  thousand  wag- 
ons and  the  mules  required  for  them,  with  the  least  possible  delay. 
(See  Appendix,  Nos.  20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  28.) 

When  I  received  the  first  order,  I  telegraphed  to  the  Quartermas- 
ter General  in  regard  to  the  matter,  and  received  a  reply,  in  sub- 
stance, that  impossibilities  could  not  be  performed,  and  that  the  De- 
partment could  not  fill  the  requisition  in  the  time  named.  General 
Fremont  thereupon  directed  me  to  take  immediate  steps  to  furnish 
the  articles  called  for,  in  the  most  expeditious  manner. 

In  addition  to  the  condition  of  the  public  credit,  and  of  the 
market,  and  of  the  u  public  exigencies,"  and  peremptory  orders 
which  forbade  the  delay  incurred  by  advertising,  there  was  another 
cause  operating  to  render  the  usual  course  out  of  the  question. 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  Government,  and  I  was  so  instructed, 
to  exclude  all  but  men  of  known  loyalty  from  the  benefits  of  Gov- 
ernment business.  In  a  community  like  this,  where  a  large  part  of 
the  mercantile  class  was  accused  of  entertaining  disloyal  sentiments, 
this  policy,  the  wisdom  of  which  has  never  been  doubted,  imposed 


16 

still  further  restriction  upon  competition  ;  and  political  cormorants 
did  not  hesitate  to  take  advantage  of  these  embarrassments  to  direct 
those  benefits  into  their  own  pockets  or  the  purses  of  their  friends, 
so  far  as  they  had  the  power  to  do  so. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  I  made  purchases  and  contracts  with- 
out advertising  only  when  the  necessity  for  the  supplies  was  appa- 
rent and  pressing,  or  when  acting  under  the  orders  of  the  Command- 
ing General. 

The  Commission  on  War  Claims,  in  their  perverse  and  apparent- 
ly pre-determined  anxiety  to  find  something  against  me,  have  charac- 
teristically assumed  that  in  these  matters  I  acted  upon  my  own  re- 
sponsibility, and  of  my  own  mere  impulse  and  whim.  The  assump- 
tion is,  of  course,  false  ;  and  had  they  inquired  of  me,  as  they  were 
ordered  to  do,  or  of  my  clerks,  any  explanation  on  the  subject,  they 
would  have  learned  the  fact  that,  do  the  best  I  could,  I  was  not  able 
to  keep  up  with  the  peremptory  orders  which  came  to  me  from  the 
Department  Headquarters,  to  purchase  or  contract  for  the  horses, 
mules,  wagons,  clothing,  &c.,  which  were  needed,  and  always  needed 
on  the  instant,  for  use  in  the  army. 

If  the  Board  desire  to  know  the  effect  of  such  orders,  even  if  ille- 
gally issued,  I  refer  them  to  Major  Robert  Allen's  testimony,  in  the 
report  of  their  co-laborers  of  the  Congressional  Investigating  Com- 
mittee, pp.  79  and  following. 

As  examples  of  the  extent  of  the  demands  upon  me,  and  the 
promptness  with  which  they  were  expected  to  be  furnished,  I  cite  the 
letters  in  the  Appendix,  marked  from  20  to  28,  inclusive  ;  and,  as 
one  instance  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining,  in  large  amounts,  the  re- 
quisite supplies,  I  refer  to  the  dispatch  of  the  Assistant  Quartermas- 
ter General  above  set  out,  and  to  those  of  Captains  Dickerson  and 
Turnley  in  the  Appendix,  Nos.  29  and  30. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Quartermaster's  business  was  done  in 
this  Department  had  been  unavoidably  adopted  elsewhere  ;  and  even 
now,  (as  I  have  already  stated,)  when  my  successor  has  a  large  corps 
of  Assistant  Quartermasters  and  competent  and  experienced  clerks, 
drawn  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  at  increased  salaries,  to  aid  him' 
and  when  the  chief  business  is  not  to  equip  an  immense  army  from 
the  ground  up,  but  merely  to  make  good  the  losses  and  destruction 
of  property  occasioned  by  the  casualties  of  war,  the  same  method  is, 
and  must  be,  pursued.  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  show  by  the  letters 

the  President  and  Secretary  of  War  that  they  were  aware  of,  and 
gave  countenance  to,  the  course  pursued  by  me. 


17 

"WASHINGTON,  September  10, 1861. 
J.  McKiNSTRY,  Brigadier  General  and  Quartermaster,  St.  Louis : 

Permit  me  to  introduce  James  L.  Lamb,  Esq.,  of  Springfield,  Illinois. 
1  have  known  Mr.  Lamb  for  a  great  many  years.     His  reputation  for  integrity 
and  ability  to  carry  out  his  engagements  are  both  unquestioned,  and  I  shall  be 
pleased,  if  consistent  with  the  public  good,  that  you  will  make  purchases  of  him 
of  any  army  supplies  needed  in  your  Department. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  LINCOLN." 

"WASHINGTON,  September  9,  1861. 

J.  McKiNSTRY,  Brigadier  General  and  Quartermaster,  St.  Louis : 
SIR: 

The  bearer  of  this,  James  L.  Lamb,  Esq.,  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  is  the  per- 
sonal friend  of  the  President,  as  well  as  my  own.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  integ- 
rity and  business  capacity,  and  any  engagement  entered  into  will,  no  doubt,  be 
faithfully  carried  out.  As  Illinois  is  bearing  her 'burthen  of  the  war,  both  in 
furnishing  men  and  means,  it  is  the  desire  of  the  Administration  that  the  citi- 
zens of  that  State  should  have  a  fair  share  of  the  Government  patronage  dis- 
pensed in  your  Department.  If  you  can  do  anything  for  Mr.  Lamb,  in  purchas- 
ing supplies,  you  will  oblige,  provided  he  will  make  his  prices  suit  you. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

SIMON  CAMERON, 

Secretary  of  War." 

I  refer,  also,  to  the  letters  of  a  military  gentleman,  whose  extensive 
service  in  the  artillery,  must  have  given  him  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  "rules  and  regulations  governing  the  army."  I  mean  Col- 
onel, the  Hon.  F.  P.  Blair,  Jr.  These  letters  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix,  marked  from  31  to  36,  inclusive.  See,  also,  letters  from 
Ben.  Farrar,  Esq.,  United  States  Assistant  Treasurer  at  St.  Louis,  to 
Hon.  M.  Blair,  and  to  Colonel  Blair,  (Appendix,  No.  37  and  38,)  and 
the  letter  of  the  Hon.  James  S.  Rollins,  M.  C.,  (Appendix,  No.  39.) 
Major  Rollins'  letter  throws  some  light  upon  the  subject  of  the 
"  Haskell"  contract,  and  shows  that,  sometimes  private  parties 
engaged  the  services  of  middle  men.  I  append  a  telegram  and  two 
letters  from  Brigadier  General  Thomas  L.  Price,  M.  C.,  touching  the 
furnishing  of  mules.  (Appendix,  No.  40,  41  and  42.) 

I  have  said  thus  much  as  to  the  system  of  contracts  and  purchases 
pursued  by  me,  in  common  with  Quartermasters  at  other  points,  and 
by  my  successor,  because,  as  I  have  before  said,  I  deem  it  the  ground 
work  of  nearly  all  the  attacks  contained  in  the  two  reports.  I  trust 
that  I  have  satisfactorily  shown  that  I  am  upheld  by  the  regulations 
and  by  my  instructions  and  orders.  I  close  this  branch  of  the  case 
by  referring  to  your  own  express  approval  of  my  conduct,  after  you 
had  given  to  it  a  personal  examination,  while  you  were  in  this  city, 


18 

in  September  last.     You  did  me  the  honor  to  state  that  I  had  evinc- 
ed ability,  energy  and  economy. 

I  will  now  pay  attention  to  the  complaints  of  the  Committee  and 
Commission  that  "  middle  men"  were  allowed  contracts.  The  logic 
of  the  two  distinguished  Boards  would  restrict  Quartermasters  to 
dealing  with  producers  and  manufacturers  only.  However  pressing 
the  public  emergency,  the  Quartermaster  of  this  Department  must 
not  (unless  at  the  risk  of  being  censured  and  maligned)  buy  cloth- 
ing, <fcc.,  of  those  who  kept  the  articles  for  sale  or  could  furnish  them, 
(but  were  not  manufacturers,)  because,  forsooth,  they  would  make 
a  profit  on  their  sales  to  the  Government !  Any  one  of  common 
sense  would  naturally  conclude  that  the  question  with  every  Quar- 
termaster would  be,  what  are  the  most  favorable  terms  the  required 
article  can  be  obtained  for?  If  supplies  could  be  obtained  of  "  mid- 
dle men"  at  lower  rates  than  of  manufacturers,  the  duty  of  a  Quar- 
termaster would  be  very  plain ;  and  even  if  at  no  better  rates,  the 
Government  would  sustain  no  injury  by  buying  of  "  middle  men." 

The  very  sagacious  Committee  and  Commission  assume  what  was 
not  the  case,  viz :  that  I  could  have  purchased  of  manufacturers  in  this 
Department  on  more  favorable  terms  than  I  did  of  parties  who  furnish, 
ed  supplies.  In  this  assumption  they  exhibit  their  utter  ignorance  of 
the  kind  and  extent  of  the  manufacturing  interests  in  St.  Louis.  If 
these  closeted  fault-finders  had  taken  the  trouble  to  examine  the 
vouchers  and  bills  that  were  before  them,  they  would  have  noticed  a 
long  list  of  articles,  costing  in  the  aggregate,  immense  sums  of  mo. 
ney,  not  one  of  which  is  manufactured  in  St.  Louis  ;  and  of  many  of 
the  articles  that  are  manufactured  here  probably  not  one-tenth  of 
the  quantity  required  could  have  been  furnished  in  time.  Further 
comment  is  unnecessary.  The  oft-repeated  story  of  the  "middle  men^ 
is  mere  twaddle,  and  unworthy  of  serious  refutation.  Any  one  at  all 
familiar  with  the  course  of  business  or  the  practice  of  the  Govern- 
ment must  see  that  the  learned  Commission,  in  their  dissertation  on 
"  middle  men"  have  "  strained  at  a  gnat  and  swallowed  a  camel." 

Let  us  suppose  a  case.  If  a  General  commanding  a  Department 
should  deem  i:  necessary  to  move  his  army  immediately,  and  should 
order  the  purchase  of  an  immense  number  of  horses  and  mules,  the 
Quartermaster,  according  to  the  sage  opinions  expressed  in  the  two 
reports,  must  first  advertise  for  proposals,  and  reject  all  bids  except 
those  of  "  farmers  and  small  dealers  in  the  country,"  (Report,  8  ;) 
or,  if  he  did  not  advertise  he  should  await  the  chance  arrival  of  the 
farmer  with  his  five  or  ten  head  of  stock.  And,  however  anxious 


19 

the  faithful  Quartermaster  may  be  to  fill  the  order  with  the  least 
possible  delay,  to  meet  the  public  exigency,  yet  he  must  not  deal 
with  men  who  have  the  means  and  facilities  to  go  through  a  widely 
extended  country  and  procure  the  animals  needed ! 

The  path  marked  out  by  the  Committee  and  Commission  would  be 
easy  to  follow  if  immense  numbers  of  men,  suddenly  called  to  the 
field,  did  not  require  horses,  mules,  clothing,  cooking  utensils,  tents 
and  the  like,  or  if  the  enemy  would  postpone  his  operations  until  we 
had  accumulated  all  the  transportation  we  required  by  the  means  in- 
dicated. 

And  it  is  singular,  taken  in  this  connexion,  that  the  Commission 
should  have  objected  to  my  purchasing  clothing  of  R.  Keiler  &  Co., 
on  the  ground  that  they  were  retail  dealers  in  the  articles.  It  is  un- 
true, in  fact,  that  R.  Keiler  &  Co.  were  retail  dealers,  in  the  sense 
which  the  committee  intend  the  assertion  to  be  understood.  They 
do  custom  work,  but,  as  is  well  known  in  St.  Louis,  they  manufac- 
ture clothing  and  supply  it  to  other  dealers,  in  large  quantities. 

The  Board  call  S.  P.  Brady,  a  commission  and  forwarding  mer- 
chant, one  of  the  most  "  marked  of  the  4  middle  men,'  "  and  "  allow- 
ed him  no  profit  whatever,"  because  he  was  not  "  a  dealer  in  any  of 
the  articles  furnished  by  him  to  the  Government,"  although,  they 
add,  "  It  is  but  justice  to  Mr.  Brady  to  state  that  the  per  centages 
charged  by  him  to  the  Government  were  much  more  moderate  than 
those  of  any  other  middle  man  that  came  under  our  notice."  "Was 
not  John  How,  leather  manufacturer  and  dealer,  a  middle  man,  by 
the  same  rule  which  was  applied  to  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox,  hardware 
dealers?  Was  it  any  more  in  his  "line  of  business"  to  furnish 
overcoats  than  it  was  in  theirs  to  supply  canteens  and  knapsacks  ? 
Were  not  half  the  persons  whose  claims  passed  the  commission  with- 
out objection,  "  middle  men"  ?  Most  simple  people  would  say  that 
Mr.  How  ought  to  have  been  compelled  to  relinquish  his  profits  on 
his  sales  of  articles  in  which  he  did  not  deal,  if  Mr.  Brady  and  Child, 
Pratt  &  Fox  could  be  allowed  none  for  similar  sales. 

The  Commission  didn't  see  it  in  that  light,  however,  but  while 
they  would  not  allow  Mr.  Brady,  and  Childs,  Pratt  &  Fox  anything  for 
their  labor  and  capital,  they  passed  Mr.  How's  claim  without  question 
and  without  requiring  the  Quartermaster's  certificate  to  it !  To  show 
the  glaring  inconsistency  of  the  Commission,  allow  me  to  state  the 
facts :  Mr.  How  obtained  $  10  50  for  his  overcoats.  Brady,  in  his 
claim,  demanded  but  |9  50  for  the  same  article,  delivered  at  about 
the  same  time.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  too,  that  Mr.  Brady  fur- 
2 


20 

nished  overcoats  at  a  period  when  our  troops  greatly  needed  them 
and  the  market  could  not  supply  the  demand  ;  that  both  he,  Child, 
Pratt  &  Fox,  Mr.  How,  and  other  "  middle  men,"  invested  their 
money  or  credit  in  providing  the  Government  with  these  things  when 
the  latter  had  very  little  of  either  money  or  credit  to  spare  in 
St.  Louis.  It  was  fortunate  that  the  Government  found  "  middle 

men," capitalists — who  could  wait  for  payment.  Its  credit  was  not 

at  that  time  available,  and  it  was  not  until  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox, 
Pomeroy  &  Benton,  and  one  or  two  other  concerns,  evinced  their 
faith  in  the  solvency  of  the  national  treasury,  that  other  leading 
merchants  in  St.  Louis  would  take  the  risk  of  making  sales. 

There  was  one  objection  to  Mr.  Brady's  claim,  which  appears  on 
the  face  of  the  report,  "  he  was  an  old  friend  and  favorite  of  Mc- 
Kinstry."  That  settled  him. 

There  was  one  merit  which  Mr.  How's  claim  had,  but  which  the 
Commissioners  omit  to  state.  Mr.  How  had  parted  with  his  interest 
in  it,  having  assigned  it  to  the  firm  of  R.  Campbell  &  Co.,  of  which 
•concern  Hugh  Campbell  (one  of  the  Commissioners)  was  a  member. 
This,  doubtless,  insured  its  passage  without  reduction. 

I  shall  not  refer  to  the  Brady  matter  again,  but  call  attention  to 
his  affidavit  (Appendix  45),  and  to  that  of  Mr.  Mandelbaum  (Ap. 
pendix  46.)  The  President  and  Secretary  of  War,  in  their  letters 
copied  above,  seem  to  think  that  an  unquestionable  reputation  for 
integrity  and  ability  to  carry  out  his  engagements  is  sufficient  war- 
rant for  a  Quartermaster  to  deal  with  the  man  who  possesses  it.  I 
supposed  so  too,  and  when,  as  I  have  already  shown,  the  Government 
had  neither  the  credit  nor  the  money  to  buy  with  as  responsible  indi- 
viduals could,  of  men  of  small  means,  I  considered  it  a  lucky  cir- 
cumstance to  find  individuals  and  firms  of  unquestionable  reputa- 
tion for  integrity  and  ability  to  carry  out  their  engagements,  who 
were  willing  to  buy  and  collect  together  the  materials  of  war  and 
sell  them  to  the  Government  with  no  other  condition  than  that,  for 
their  trouble  and  the  use  of  their  skill,  judgment  and  capital,  they 
should  receive  a  "  fair  mercantile  profit,"  when  Government  was 
ready  to  pay  them.  I  found  many  such  individuals  and  firms  in 
St.  Louis,  and  have  dealt  with  them,  under  circumstances  requiring 
it.  The  Commission,  however,  single  out  a  few  by  name  and  try  to 
create  the  impression  that  these  did  all  the  business  to  the  exclusion 
of  others,  and  that  all  the  business  they  did  was  done  with  me.  It 
was  known  to  them  that  I,  also,  bought  largely  of  Field  Brothers, 
J.  B.  Sickles  &  Co.,  Corbet  &  Kulm,  Warne,  Cheever  &  Co., 


21 

Pomeroy,  Benton  &  Co.,  and  other  leading  houses,  while  of  the 
claims  presented  by  the  individuals  and  firms  mentioned  by  the 
Commission,  a  large  number  were  created  during  the  administration 
of  my  successors.  For  instance  :  I  bought  of  R,  Keiler  &  Co.,  goods 
to  the  amount  of  $77,100  85  ;  Captain  Rankin  $270,410  23  ;  Major 
Allen  $69,422  75.  Evidence  of  this  was  before  the  Commission. 
They  seized  Keiler  &  Co.'s  books  and  papers,  and  besides  the  proof 
they  afforded,  the  fact  was  testified  to  by  witnesses.  Yet,  in  their 
unscrupulous  zeal,  they  suppress  the  truth  and  render  themselves 
morally  guilty  of  perjury  in  order  to  injure  me. 

Before  I  was  aware  of  Mr.  How's  position  as  one  of  the  Safety 
Committee,  I  had  made  considerable  purchases  of  him.  He  was  not 
averse  to  an  increase  of  these  dealings,  as  appears  by  the  proposition 
of  himself  and  Mr.  Gurnee  contained  in  Appendix  No.  48.  The 
proposal  was  not  accepted.  It  may  be  that  the  rejection  of  the  offer 
had  something  to  do  with  the  subsequent  course  of  Mr.  How  and  his 
friends  upon  the  "  Committee,"  and  if  I  had  given  him  the  desired 
contract,  probably  the  country  would  not  have  heard  so  much  about 
"  middle  men  "  and  "  go-betweens." 

I  append  my  answer  to  Messrs.  How  and  Gurnee's  proposition. 
(No.  49.)  It  will  be  seen  that  I  therein  expressed  my  views  in 
regard  to  the  propriety  of  entering  into  such  contracts.  These  would- 
be  contractors  applied  to  Gen.  Fremont  to  order  me  to  comply  with 
their  wishes,  and,  had  they  succeeded  in  procuring  such  an  order,  I 
would  have  obeyed  it,  as  I  did  in  other  cases.  The  General  did  not 
see  fit  to  oblige  them,  in  the  premises,  and  the  contract  was  never 
entered  into.  How  much  this  disappointment  affected  the  subsequent 
course  of  Mr.  How  and  the  Chicago  Tribune,  in  which  last  named 
concern  Mr.  Gurnee  is  said  to  be  a  stockholder,  I  leave  for  others  to 
determine. 

The  Commission  seized  the  books,  papers  and  correspondence  of 
Child,  Pratt  &  Fox  likewise,  and  they  knew  when  they  signed  their 
report  that  Captain  Rankin,  Major  Allen,  and  other  parties,  had  con- 
tinued to  buy  of  them  after  I  ceased  to  have  control.  Why  did  they 
not  censure  them?  Of  the  claims  of  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox,  before  the 
Commission,  the  following  is  a  statement,  viz : 

Purchases  made  by  me , $374,573  67 

<*  "      "    Captain  Rankin 140,827  08 

"  «      "    Major  Allen < 29,125  39 

«  «      "    other  parties 5,281  61 


22 

Yet  the  Committee  and  Commission  strive  to  make  it  appear  that 
the  corruption  of  this  firm  was  so  marked  that  no  one  but  me,  who 
was  an  accomplice,  would  have  anything  to  do  with  them.  As  an- 
other instance  of  the  sort  of  justice  which  was  meted  out  by  the 
Commission,  I  will  mention  that  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox  bought,  in  Au- 
gust, 1861,  for  cash,  of  R.  Campbell  &  Co.,  (of  which  firm  Hugh 
Campbell,  one  of  the  Commissioners,  was  a  partner)—- 

82  blankets at  $6  50  per  pair. 

23        «      at    550"      " 

257       «      at    8  00   «      " 

These  blankets  were  bought  for  the  Government  and  were  turned 
over  to  me.  The  credulous  "  middle  men"  believed  that  upon  pro- 
ducing the  original  invoices  of  R.  Campbell  &  Co.  they  could  at  least 
obtain  the  cost  price  of  articles  which  they  had  paid  for  months  be- 
fore, inasmuch  as  there  was  a  gentleman  on  the  Commission  who 
must  know  that  the  prices  were/air  and  reasonable,  and  the  goods  of 
fair  quality.  They  were  mistaken,  however.  Mr.  Hugh  Campbell, 
merchant,  and  Mr.  Hugh  Campbell,  commissioner,  were  two  distinct 
characters.  He  sold  blankets  at  $8  in  the  one  capacity,  but  in  the 
other  he  couldn't  persuade  his  conscience  to  allow  the  Government 
to  pay  more  than  $4  33J,  and  at  that  rate  the  claim  of  Child,  Pratt 
&  Fox  was  adjusted. 

At  another  place  in  this  communication,  I  shall  take  occasion  to 
notice  the  remarks  of  the  Commissioners  touching  Mr.  Fox's  alleged 
agency  in  my  being  retained  at  this  post  as  Quartermaster.  I  will 
now  simply  state  that  I  never  knew  the  firm  of  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox, 
or  any  member  of  it,  until  I  was  assigned  to  duty  in  this  city.  I  be- 
came acquainted  with  them,  and  more  particularly  with  their  junior 
partner,  Mr.  Fox,  in  consequence  of  their  having  always  been  the 
lowest  bidder  for  hardware,  when  I  had  occasion  to  advertise  for  pro- 
posals ;  and,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  I  never  made  purchases  ex- 
cept upon  advertisement,  prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  war. 
The  house  certainly  had  a  high  standing  in  St.  Louis— none  had  a 
better  reputation,  so  far  as  I  know. 

I  was  not  anxious  to  deal  with  R.  Keiler  &  Co.,  as  appears  by  my 
letter  to  Captain  Littler.  (Appendix,  51.)  They  were  not  only 
large  manufacturers  but  dealt  extensively  in  clothing,  both  at  whole- 
sale and  retail,  and  I  am  aware  of  no  reason  why  I  should  not  have 
bought  from  them  such  articles  as  they  could  furnish  and  the  troops 
required. 


23 

The  experience  and  business  qualifications  of  S.  P.  Brady  appear 
from  his  own  history  of  himself,  and  his  high  position  and  irreproach- 
able character  are  made  manifest  by  the  certificates  of  the  Hon. 
Lewis  Cass  and  Judge  Ross  Wilkins. 

"  Jim  Neill"  was  a  stranger  to  me  until  Frank  P.  Blair,  Jr.,  intro- 
duced him  to  me  as  his  "  personal  friend,"  and  a  "  sound  Union 
man."  Mr.  Blair,  also,  recommended  J.  H.  Bowen  and  Charles  M. 
Klleard.  In  fact,  the  Representative  of  the  St.  Louis  District  sent 
more  applicants  to  me  than  any  other  ten  men  in  the  country. 

J.  S.  Pease  is  stated  by  the  Committee  and  Commission  to  be  a 
"  brother-in-law"  of  mine.  They  knew  better,  for  it  was  in  proof 
before  them  that  he  is  not  connected  with  me  by  blood  or  marriage  ; 
and  that  I  had  no  acquaintance  with  him  until  I  was  stationed  here . 
Ho,  too,  was  a  respectable  commission  merchant,  in  good  repute. 

Now,  I  ask,  if  in  the  avalanche  of  business  which  came  upon  me, 
it  became  necessary,  not  only  to  find  men  who  had  the  means  to  as- 
sist the  Government  in  its  time  of  need,  but  in  whom  I  could  confide 
to  aid  me  in  doing  that  which  no  mortal  man  could  accomplish  alone, 
why  should  I  not  have  placed  faith  in  the  persons  and  firms  alluded 
to  ?  If,  in  any  instance,  I  have  been  deceived,  and  the  Government 
has  been  defrauded,  (which  I  deny,)  I  can  only  say  that  I  exercised 
all  the  caution  and  judgment  which  I  could  have  used  to  prevent 
such  an  occurrence. 

Perhaps  I  should  not  have  placed  trust  in  Mr.  Blair's  "  personal 
friends  ; "  but,  if  the  good  names  which  the  merchants  with  whom  I 
dealt  had  acquired  in  the  community  furnished  no  grounds  for  reli- 
ance upon  their  integrity,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  rule  could 
have  guided  me.  The  frauds  so  freely  charged  by  the  Committee 
and  Commission,  against  a  few  individuals  and  firms,  it  will  be  ob- 
served, necessarily  implicate  a  large  number  of  merchants,  manu- 
facturers and  traders,  who,  previous  to  these  reports,  enjoyed  the 
reputation  of  being  honest  men.  It  is  not  my  province  to  undertake 
their  defence,  and  I  shall  leave  the  injured  parties  to  see  to  it 
themselves. 

As  far  as  the  charges  or  insinuations  that  1  was  in  any  way  inter 
csted  with  the  "  middle  men"  are  concerned,  I  reply  that  they  are 
false  in  every  particular.  There  was  no  testimony  before  the  Com- 
mittee or  Commission  tending  to  show  any  such  thing.  Even  Glov- 
er can't  screw  his  courage  to  the  point  of  making  such  a  charge. 
It  was  reserved  to  a  committee,  whose  chairman  was  turned  out  of 
the  War  Office  for  making  dishonorable  proposals  to  the  Secretary, 


24 

and  has  since  been  arrested  by  General  McClellan  for  appropriating 
property  of  the  Government  to  himself  and  his  regiment,  and  to  a 
set  of  commissioners,  led  by  a  tricky  and  unscrupulous  lawyer,  to 
manufacture  these  accusations  out  of  whole  cloth.  I  append  seve- 
ral affidavits  relating  to  this  subject,  although  the  absence  of  every 
thing  like  proof  to  show  guilty  conduct  on  my  part  would  seem  to 
render  such  exhibits  unnecessary. 

A  still  more  unfounded  and  reckless  statement  of  the  Committee 
is  found  on  page  113  of  Report.  In  speaking  of  the  service  of  plate 
presented  to  Mrs.  McKinstry,  the  Committee  say  :  "  Contractors 
were  told  by  those  soliciting  contributions  that  if  they  did  not  con- 
tribute they  would  have  trouble  in  collecting  their  dues  from  the 
Government."  To  uphold  this  statement,  they  garble  and  falsely 
report  the  testimony  of  Almon  Thompson,  as  will  be  seen  by  his 
affidavit,  (Appendix,  No.  75.) 

The  presentation  was  made  after  I  had  ceased  to  be  Quartermaster, 
and  within  a  few  hours  of  my  departure  for  Memphis.  The  inscrip- 
tion on  the  plate  shows  that  it  was  a  token  of  regard  for  my  services 
as  Provost  Marshal.  To  show  the  character  of  the  contributors,  and 
the  motives  that  influenced  them,  I  refer  to  the  testimony  of  J.  B. 
Eads,  Esq.,  p.  958. 

Having  disposed  of  the  objections  that  I  bought  without  advertis- 
ing for  proposals,  and  that  I  dealt  with  "  middle  men,"  I  will  notice 
some  of  the  specifications  found  in  both  reports.  It  is  strange  that  with 
the  same  testimony  before  them,  their  distortions  and  perversions  of 
testimony  should  have  led  the  Committee  and  Commission  to  such 
different  results ;  but  I  presume  that  it  is  difficult  for  two  sets  of 
people  not  acting  in  concert,  to  make  up  the  same  falsehoods,  even 
though  they  have  a  common  purpose.  I  regret  their  want  of  harmo- 
ny, for  it  compels  me  to  notice  their  reports  separately.  I  will  first 
take  up  that  of  the  Committee  of  Investigation. 

Upon  pages  52  and  58  will  be  found  copied  an  order  which  I  gave 
to  Livingston,  Bell  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  for  clothing.  It  appears 
sufficiently  from  the  letters  and  instructions  above  set  out,  that  I  had 
the  authority  to  give  this  order,  and  that  the  "public  exigency"  de- 
manded it.  I  call  attention  to  it  for  one  purpose  only,  "that  is,  to 
have  it  noted  how  carefully  unreasonable  prices  were  guarded  against. 
It  is  provided  in  the  order  that  «  the  cost  of  manufacture,  material 
and  transportation"  should  be  furnished,  and  that  the  Quartermas- 
ter would  allow  them  "a  fair  mercantile  profit"  thereupon.  The 
result  has  shown  that  by  this  means  the  Government  obtained  a 


25 

quantity  of  good  clothing  at  prices  lower  than  has  generally  been 
paid  for  similar  articles  in  this  or  any  other  Department. 

At  page  82  the  Committee  state  that  they  "  found  that  the  most 
astounding  and  unblushing  frauds  had  been  perpetrated  in  the  pur- 
chase of  horses  and  mules,  made  by  the  Quartermaster's  department ; 
and  the  evidence  left  no  doubt  on  their  minds  that  the  Quartermas- 
ter himself  was  in  collusion  with  corrupt  and  unprincipled  men  who 
combined  together  to  swindle  the  Government.  In  these  purchases, 
fraud  was  perpetrated  in  every  possible  way.  In  the  first  place,  mat- 
ters were  so  arranged  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  original  owners 
to  sell  horses  or  mules  directly  to  the  Government,  but  all  such 
sales  were  made  by  certain  middle  men  and  go-betweens,  who,  it 
appears,  alone  could  get  any  horses  or  mules  taken  by  the  Quarter- 
master's department."  ^ 

This  extraordinary  charge  deserves  but  one  reply :  it  is  a  mali- 
cious and  deliberate  falsehood.  There  is  nothing  even  in  the  report- 
ed testimony  to  justify  the  conclusion  of  the  Committee  ;  but,  in  re- 
porting the  testimony,  they  suppressed  the  statements  of  some  wit- 
nesses, and  garbled  and  perverted  those  of  others,  in  the  hope  that 
careless  readers  would  be  misled.  The  Committee  state  truly  that 
$119  was  fixed  as  the  maximum  price  for  horses  and  mules,  but  it 
is  not  true  that  $150  was  fixed  as  the  price  of  artillery  horses.  I 
will  explain  how  this  standard  came  to  be  adopted.  After  having 
advertised  for  proposals  to  furnish  animals  of  the  above  description, 
the  various  bids  were  opened  on  the  4th  of  July,  1861.  It  had  pre- 
viously been  intimated  to  me,  (and  the  bids  seemed  to  confirm  the 
intimation,)  that  the  "  legitimate  dealers"  had  made  a  combination 
to  keep  up  the  prices. 

T.  T.  January  proposed  to  furnish  cavalry  horses  at  $  125  ;  James 
Ashbrook  required  $125  for  mules ;  Thornton  &  Pierce,  and  Law- 
rence Matthews  claimed  $125  for  horses  and  $130  for  mules  ;  James 
B.  Neill  (Blair's  "personal  friend,"  "Jim  Neill")  demanded  $130 
for  cavalry  horses ;  J.  H.  Bowen's  price  was  $119  for  horses  and 
mules,  while  that  of  Asa  S.  Jones  was  $119  50.  The  original  bids 
are  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General.  Bowen's  bid 
was  the  lowest,  and  was  as  low  as  horses  and  mules  of  the  required 
standard  could  be  furnished  to  me  in  this  city,  and  much  lower  than 
had  been  previously  paid.  The  contract  was  awarded  to  Bowen  and 
Jones  at  $119  per  head.  They  were  not  "legitimate  dealers"  any 
more  than  How  or  other  dealers  of  that  class,  but  were  still  able  to  col- 


26 

lect  and  bring  to  me  all  the  animals  specified  in  their  contract,  at  a 
considerably  lower  cost  than  the  "  horse  men"  considered  reasonable. 
I  do  not  know  how  much  the  contractors  paid  to  the  farmers  and 
stock  raisers,  but  I  do  know  that  885,  $105,  8108  and  $110  per  head 
(if  they  did,  in  fact,  procure  their  horses  and  mules  for  those  prices) 
at  the  farm  yards  in  the  interior,  left  no  magnificent  margin  by  the 
time  the  animals  were  inspected  and  accepted  in  this  city.  The 
Committee  strive  to  create  the  impression  that,  because  the  "  original 
owner"  was  content  to  take  less  than  $119  at  the  gate  of  his  own 
stock  yard,  no  allowance  should  be  made  for  the  expense  of  feeding 
and  transporting  the  animals  to  the  city,  and  that  the  services  of  the 
"  go-betweens,"  in  collecting  here  a  horse  and  there  a  mule,  until 
they  had  filled  their  contract,  were  not  worthy  of  compensation ! 
Why,  if  I  had  hired  and  sent  to  the  country  enough  Quartermaster's 
agents  to  buy  and  bring  in  the  number  of  horses  and  mules  required, 
within  the  eight  days  which  were  given  to  Bowen  and  Jones  for  com- 
pleting their  undertaking,  the  actual  cost  to  the  Government  would 
have  been  fully  up  to,  if  it  did  not  exceed,  the  figures  determined 
upon  by  the  "legitimate  dealers."  The  contract  was  entered 
into  in  quadruplicate,  duplicates  of  which  were  sent  to  the 
Quartermaster  General,  with  full  information  as  to  the  circumstances 
under  which  it  was  made.  The  price  was  lower  than  the 
Government  was  then  paying  in  Washington ;  and  as  I  never 
heard  that  any  objection  was  made  by  my  superiors  to  my 
action  in  the  premises,  I  take  it  for  granted  that  it  met  with  their 
approval.  From  the  paper  itself  (Appendix,  No.  52)  it  will  be  seen 
that  $119  was  the  price  agreed  upon  for  cavalry  and  artillery  horses 
and  for  mules. 

After  this  contract  was  made,  I  had  no  occasion  to  purchase  horses 
until  I  was  ordered  to  do  so  by  General  Fremont,  Department  Com- 
mander. I  subsequently  purchased  animals  without  advertising, 
and  to  avoid  combinations  which  I  feared,  I  let  it  be  generally  known 
that  I  would  pay  $119,  and  no  more,  for  horses  and  mules  which 
could  pass  inspection.  Bowen  and  Jones  had  been  able  to  furnish 
them  at  that  price,  and  judging  from  what  I  knew  of  the  market, 
as  well  as  from  the  offers  of  "  legitimate  dealers,"  I  was  then  confi- 
dent, and  am  now  certain,  that  the  Government  could  not  have  been 
supplied  at  a  lower  average  rate. 

It  is  true  that  I  paid  $150  per  head  for  some  artillery  horses,  fur- 
nished to  General  Lyon  by  Messrs.  Harkness  and  Giles  F.  Filley, 
for  the  First  Regiment  of  Missouri  Artillery.  Upon  the  represen- 


27 

tations  of  Col.  Blair,  and  at  his  solicitation,  Gen.  Fremont  authorized 
me  to  pay  $150  each  for  artillery  horses.     After  this  was  done,  Col. 

;  Blair,  as  may  be  seen,  (Appendix,  No.  38,)  aided  "  busted-up"  John 
Farrar  in  obtaining  a  contract  to  furnish  artillery  horses  at  that 
price.  I,  however,  had  nothing  to  do  with  determining  these  prices, 
and  only  paid  them  upon  the  express  orders  of  Generals  Lyon  and 
Fremont  to  do  so.  The  men  who  pocketed  $150  each  for  horses, 
Harkness  and  Filley,  are  the  same  men  who  figure  largely  as  tale 
bearers  before  the  Committee  and  Commission.  They  will  receive 
proper  notice  hereafter. 

The  heaviest  orders  to  purchase  horses  and  mules  (for  instance 

!  that  to  Mr.  L.  Haskell,  who,  it  appears,  was  merely  acting  for  others) 
did  not  emanate  from  me.  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  them,  further 

i|  than  to  have  the  animals  inspected,  and  to  give  vouchers  for  th8m, 
if  they  were  accepted.  At  the  same  time,  however,  the  amount 
which  I  had  fixed,  upon  the  basis  of  the  Bowen  bid,  still  controlled, 
and  has  saved  the  Government  a  large  sum  which  would  otherwise 
have  found  its  way  into  the  pockets  of  the  "legitimate  dealers,"  such 
as  How  &  Co.  In  confirmation  of  this,  I  mention  that  it  was  proved 
before  the  Commissioners  that  a  lot  of  mules  offered  for  inspection 
under  the  Haskell  contract,  and  rejected,  were  afterwards,  and  after 
I  ceased  to  act  as  Quartermaster,  sold  to  the  Government  at  an  in- 
creased price  of  $7  each. 

"But"  say  the  Van  Wyck  Committee,  "  the  fraud  in  the  manner 
of  purchase  was  only  one  of  a  series  of  frauds  in  that  connexion. 
There  was  fraud  in  the  inspection.  By  the  indulgence  of  a  4  gener- 
ous confidence'  the  favored  individual,  who  had  the  good  fortune  to 
have  the  right  kind  of  authority  to  buy  horses  for  the  Government, 
either  inspected  himself  or  was  permitted  to  select  his  own  inspector, 
which,  of  course,  resulted  in  a  corrupt  inspection." 

This  charge  is  utterly  and  basely  false.  There  was  no  credible 
testimony  before  the  Committee  which  gives  an  apology  for  making 
it.  Upon  the  files  of  the  Quartermaster  General  is  the  name 
of  every  inspector  employed  by  me ;  and  the  Committee  were  also 
furnisned  with  a  list  of  all  the  inspectors,  verified  by  the  affidavit  of 
my  chief  clerk.  No  one  of  them  was  interested  in  any  contract, 
so  far  as  I  know ;  yet,  even  if  it  were  shown  that  some  of  the 
persons  employed  as  inspectors  were  dishonest,  on  what  ground 
can  I  be  charged  with  complicity  in  their  rascality  ?  It  is  amaz- 
ing, that,  without  proof,  the  Committee  accuse  me  of  such  con- 
duct. The  same  witnesses  who  state  that  I  allowed  "  Jim  Neill"  to 


28 

inspect  his  own  horses,  discredit  their  own  testimony-  by  swearing  to 
a  foolish  untruth  in  respect  to  branding  horses.  The  Committee, 
instead  of  disbelieving  the  evidence  on  this  subject,  found  another 
charge  upon  it,  as  follows : 

"  There  was  also  fraud  in  branding  horses.  For  instance,  a  horse 
would  be  bought  and  branded  as  a  cavalry  horse,  to  be  put  in  to  the 
Government  at  $119,  and  when  the  back  of  the  seller  was  turned, 
another  brand  would  be  put  on  him,  by  the  inspector,  as  an  artillery 
horse,  to  be  put  in  at  $150  ;  the  Government  being  thus  handsomely 
defrauded  out  of  the  difference."  (P.  85  of  Report.) 

The  perjury  of  the  witnesses,  and  the  stupidity  or  malice  of  the 
Committee,  appear,  when  it  is  considered  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  cavalry  or  artillery  brand.  Public  animals  have  no  brand  affix- 
ed to  them  excepting  the  letters  "  U.  S.,"  burned  into  the  left  fore 
shoulder.  The  bugaboo  story,  therefore,  of  branding  horses  twice 
for  the  purpose  of  making  them  artillery  horses  is  dispelled  into 
"  thin  air." 

And  now,  a  word  in  respect  to  the  much  abused  Jim  Neill.  As 
"  a  man  is  known  by  the  company  he  keeps,"  and  as  Neill  was  a 
"  personal  friend"  of  Colonel  Blair,  every  one  had  a  right  to  as- 
sume that  Jim  was  as  honest,  respectable  and  trustworthy  as  Blair 
himself,  and  nothing  has  occurred  to  change  my  estimate  of  the  char- 
acter of  either  of  them.  Neill  was  never  an  inspector,  and  if  Gans- 
horne  and  Everett  (as  the  Van  Wyck  Committee  state)  testified  he 
was,  they  swore  falsely.  (Vide  affidavits  of  Neill,  Appendix,  Nos. 
53  &  54.) 

Patrick  Brenner  is  also  represented  to  have  testified  that  he  "  saw 
them  brand  my  (his)  horse  as  an  artillery  horse  after  they  had  bought 
him  as  a  cavalry  horse."  This  is  as  absurd  as  it  is  false,  and  is  on  a 
par  with  the  cock  and  bull  figment  of  the  Committee  about  double 
or  twice  branding  of  horses. 

The  Committee  aver  that  the  testimony  of  Brodhead,  Peay  and 
McPike  connect  "  the  Quartermaster  and  two  of  his  confederates, 
Pease  and  Neill,  with  a  gross  and  palpable  fraud  upon  the  Govern- 
ment." And,  again,  that  "  by  this  collusion  between  the  Quarter- 
master's department  and  Neill  and  Pease,  the  Government  was  de- 
frauded out  of  the  difference  between  $110  and  8119  on  290  mules." 

I  call  particular  attention  to  Peay's  own  testimony  before  the  War 
Claim  Commission  on  this  subject,  and  to  the  affidavits  of  Messrs. 
Neill  and  Pease  and  of  Mr.  Blakely,  who  is  stated  in  the  record  to 
have  been  present  at  the  time  of  the  alleged  sale  to  me.  (Appendix, 


29 

Nos.  55  &  56.)  The  fact  was  that  Neill  had  an  order  to  furnish  mules 
at  $119  a  head,  and  through  assistance  of  Pease,  bought  Peay's 
mules.  Peay  never  sold,  or  offered  to  sell,  them  to  me  at  any  price  ; 
nor  did  I  know  what  price  he  asked  or  obtained.  By  advancing 
money  to  Neill  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  him  to  purchase,  Pease 
acquired  an  interest  in  the  sale,  and  at  NeilPs  request,  the  voucher 
was  handed  to  Pease.  Peay  had  no  dealing,  direct  or  indirect,  with 
me  ;  nor  did  1  in  any  way,  know  him  as  connected  with  the  transac- 
tion. 

I  direct  notice  to  the  answer  of  James  0.  Brodhead,  whom  the 
Committee  assert  to  be  "  of  the  highest  character  and  respectabili- 
ty." When  asked  by  Mr.  Dawes,  "Then  is  not  the  transaction,  in 
effect,  this  :  that  your  client  sold  his  mules  to  McKinstry  for  $  110 
a  piece,  and  by  some  management  that  you  do  not  know  of,  at  the 
Quartermaster's  department,  the  title  was  put  into  Neill,  and  the 
mules  passed  to  the  Government  at  $119  a  head?"  Mr.  Brodhead, 
notwithstanding  he  is  a  lawyer,  and  should  know  the  value  of  hear- 
say testimony,  does  not  hesitate  to  reply  positively :  "  That  is  it ;" 
and  yet,  from  his  own  account,  it  is  evident  that  he  did  not  know  a 
single  fact  in  the  case.  He  swore  to  conclusions  drawn  from  Peay's 
statements  to  him. 

Again:  the  Committee  say  that  a  horse  and  mule  man  by  the 
name  of  Harkness  testified  that  "  whoever  was  fortunate  enough  to 
get  an  order  from  the  Quartermaster  for  the  purchase  of  horses,  got 
an  inspector  of  his  own  selection  appointed."  The  Committee  also 
say  that  this  man  Harkness  testified,  with  great  positiveness,  that  I 
"  allowed  the  beef  contractor,  under  a  contract,  to  supply  25  to 
30,000  men  at  4  4-100  per  pound,  to  actually  supply  only  small 
quantities,  (for  example :  one  day  only  552  pounds,)  and  gave  or- 
ders specially  to  other  parties  to  supply  the  Arsenal,  Marine  Hospital, 
and  the  different  camps,  at  7  and  8  cents  per  pound. 

The  Committee  had  the  prudence  to  pass  over,  without  comment, 
in  their  report,  this  portion  of  Harkness'  testimony,  knowing,  as 
they  doubtless  did,  when  they  received  the  false  and  scandal-monger 
statement,  that  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  beef  and  other  articles 
furnished  by  the  Commissariat. 

I  should  do  injustice  to  the  Van  Wyck  Committee,  and  be  want- 
ing in  candor,  if  I  should  omit  to  say,  en  passant,  that  I  receive 
their  statement  of  the  evidence  before  them  with  distrust,  bordering 
on  disbelief.  And  not  without  cause,  for  it  is  known  that  the  Com- 
mittee has  been  publicly  charged  with  the  crime  of  suppressing  some 


30 

and  garbling  other  portions  of  the  evidence  given  before  them,  both 
here  and  elsewhere. 

If  Harkness  gave  the  evidence  ascribed  to  him,  he  is,  to  say  the 
least,  a  swift  witness,  and  he  seems  to  have  been  regarded  with  great 
favor  by  the  Committee.  Unfortunately  for  this  pet  of  the  committee, 
every  material  statement  of  his,  including  what  he  says  in  regard  to 
the  inspection  of  horses  by  John  Keller,  is  basely  false. 

I  append  the  affidavits  of  Mr.  Keller  and  Mr.  Flanagan.  (  Vide 
Appendix,  Nos.  57  &  58.) 

A  brief  statement  of  facts  will  show  the  animus  that  prompted  both 
Harkness  and  G.  F.  Filley  in  their  swearing  assault  on  me  before  the 
Yan  Wyck  Committee.  While  General  Lyon  was  in  command  of 
this  department,  Filley  and  Harkness  presented  a  claim  to  me  for 
payment  for  50  or  60  horses,  at  $150  each,  representing  at  the  same 
time  that  Capt.  Lyon  had  given  them  an  order  authorizing  the  pur- 
chase of  the  horses  at  that  price.  As  they  produced  no  order  or 
authority  from  any  one,  I  declined  payment.  On  investigation  of  the 
matter,  I  found  that  they  had,  by  misrepresentation  and  falsehood, 
attempted  (to  use  the  language  of  the  Committee)  to  defraud  the 
Government,  by  obtaining  an  exorbitant  price  for  horses  they  had 
never  sold.  I  promptly  charged  them  with  their  attempted  deception, 
and  peremptorily  refused  to  pay  their  exorbitant  demand.  Of  course, 
I  incurred  their  displeasure,  which  they  seem  to  have  fostered  into 
ill-will. 

This  is  the  same  Giles  F.  Filley  who  was  detected  in  a  very  weak 
attempt  to  practice  a  deception  on  me,  in  making  proposals  to  fur- 
nish camp-kettles  and  mess-pans,  and  this,  in  part,  may  account  for 
his  hostility.  On  the  18th  September,  1861,  he  offered,  in  writing, 
to  furnish  2,000  camp-kettles  at  42J  cents,  and  5,000  mess-pans  at 
27J  cents,  each.  On  the  following  day,  his  Clerk,  G.  W.  Bell,  in 
his  own  name,  (but,  of  course,  in  concert  with  Filley,)  offered  to 
furnish  the  same  articles,  viz :  camp-kettles  at  13  cents  and  mess- 
pans  at  15|  cts.  per  pound.  I  annex  these  offers.  (Appendix,  Nos. 
55  &  56. )  Mr.  Filley,  manifestly,  had  no  horror  of  a  go-between 
then,  nor  does  it  seem  that  any  petty  deception  stood  in  his  way,  if, 
thereby,  he  could  drive  a  bargain.  At  that  time,  I  had  on  hand  a 
supply  of  those  articles,  and,  in  point  of  fact,  did  not  purchase  eith- 
er of  those  articles  from  any  one.  I  declined  to  purchase  of  Filley, 
and  gave  him  my  reason  for  declining.  This  fact  he  does  not  men- 
tion ;  but  he  and  the  Committee  leave  it  to  inference  that,  after  he 
sold  the  articles  to  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox,  they  sold  them  to  me.  Fil- 


31 

ley  says  I  declined  to  buy  of  him,  and  he  sold  the  articles  to  Child, 
Pratt  &  Fox,  and  that  afterwards  the  Government  bought  them,  &c. 
Now,  it  was  well  known  to  Filley,  when  he  gave  his  testimony,  that 
the  camp-kettles  and  mess-pans  he  sold  to  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox,  they 
sold  to  C.  P.  Ghouteau,  or  P.  Chouteau,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  who,  in  turn, 
sold  them  to  Captain  Turnley,  my  successor.  How  easy  it  would 
have  been  for  Mr.  Filley,  if  he  had  been  so  disposed,  to  prevent  a 
false  impression  by  stating  the  whole  truth. 

But  this  is  not  all  that  I  have  to  say  of  Mr.  Filley.     If  he  testi- 
fied as  he  is  reported  by  the  Committee,  (p.  522,  et  seq.)  he  gave 
false  testimony,  in  respect  to  his  oifer  to  me  to  sell  camp-kettles  and 
mess-pans .     The  copy  of  his  proposition,  (Appendix,  No.  59,)  is  from 
the  original.     It  is  not  as  published  by  the  Committee,  over  the  sig- 
nature of  "  Giles  F.  Filley  by  Bell;"  and  he  cunningly  withholds  the 
proposition  made  by  his  book-keeper,  G.  W.  Bell.     (Appendix,  No. 
I  60.)     The  proposal  of  Filley  is  introduced  by  the  Committee  for 
I  the  purpose  of  supporting  their  charge  that  I  could  have  purchased  f 
i  such  articles  at  a  less  price.     This  question  was  tested  before  the 
I  Commissioners  on  Claims.     They  allowed  $13  per  dozen  for  camp- 
i  kettles  and  $6  50  per  dozen  for  mess-pans,  which  is  full   20  per 
cent,  higher  than  I  paid  to  any  one  for  such  articles. 

Again :  On  p.  526  they  continue  with  Mr.  Filley,  and  in  answer 
to  the  question,  "  The  man  you  sent  made  a  proposition  to  do  the 
work  for  a  given  price  ?"  he  says,  "  Yes  sir;  for  $3  50  per  square 
of  100  feet,  but  it  was  not  accepted.  Afterwards,  a  contract  was 
made  with  Thomson  at  $4  50,  and  he  sublet  it  at  $3  50."  You,  sir, 
have  the  contract  before  you.  It  appears  by  its  terms  that  the  con- 
tract with  Thomson  was  for  $3  50,  and  it  is  in  evidence  that  he  nev- 
er sublet  it,  but  did  the  work  himself.  Mr.  Filley,  therefore,  stands 
convicted  of  having  sworn  that  to  be  the  fact  of  which  he  had  no 
knowledge,  or  has  deliberately  sworn  to  a  falsehood,  either  being 
perjury. 

Again :  At  page  527,  in  answer  to  the  question,  "  Do  you  know 
anything  further  in  reference  to  contracts  with  the  Government  ?  " 
Mr.  Filley  says :  "  When  I  heard  that  Benton  Barracks  were  to  be 
erected,  William  Patrick,  a  lumber  dealer,  although  he  had  not  the 
kind  of  lumber  the  Government  wanted,  offered  to  furnish  the  Gov- 
ernment by  charging  three  per  cent,  commission  on  the  lumber  for 
the  barracks.  But  McKinstry  could  not  entertain  a  project  of  that 
kind,  but  bought  the  lumber  for  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar  a  thou- 
sand more  than  what  he  could  have  furnished  it  for." 


32 

The  evident  object  of  Mr.  Filley  was  to  lead  the  Committee  to  be- 
lieve that  I  had  paid  from  fifty  cents  to  a  dollar  more  for  the  lumber 
than  it  would  have  cost  had  I  dealt  with  Mr.  Patrick.  You  are 
aware,  sir,  from  the  accounts  in  your  office,  that  the  price  paid  for 
the  lumber  was  $12  per  thousand,  and  no  more  ;  but  I  will  call  Mr. 
Patrick  to  the  stand,  to  throw  more  light  on  this  subject.  At  pages 
653  and  654  of  the  report,  Mr.  Patrick  states  that  he  met  Filley ; 
that  Filley  asked  him  what  he  could  furnish  the  lumber  for ;  that 
the  witness  couldn't  answer  just  then  ;  that  the  witness  looked  around 
that  evening,  and  found  that  he  could  buy  it  for  twelve  or  thirteen 
dollars,  and  would  charge  three  per  cent,  commission  for  doing  so." 

"  Question.  Was  $12  a  reasonable  price  ?" 

"  Answer.  I  think  the  lumber  was  furnished  extremely  low.  The 
old  lumber  dealers  had  all  quit  their  business,  and  the  men  who  fur- 
nished the  lumber  are  new  men,  who  took  the  lumber  last  year  for 
debts  and  piled  it  up.  They  sold  it  very  low  ;  below  the  market  price 
two  or  three  dollars.  1  am  getting  two  or  three  dollars  more  for  the 
lumber  I  furnish  to  the  contractors  who  are  building  the  fortifica- 
tions and  barges." 

Such  is  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Patrick  before  the  Yan  Wyck  Com- 
mittee. It  disposes  of  Mr.  Filley,  and  proves  the  economy  of  my 
purchases,  as  well  as  the  worthlessness  of  Filley's  testimony. 

But  what  shall  be  said  of  an  Investigating'  Committee  who  could 
found  charges  against  any  one  upon  evidence  which  was  proved  be- 
fore them  to  be  false  ? 

Charles  M.  Elleard,  who,  as  I  have  before  said,  was  recommended 
to  me  by  Col.  Frank  P.  Blair, is  next  made  to  figure.  The  Committee 
say  that  my  suggestion  to  Elleard  that  Brady  should  join  him  in 
furnishing  two  thousand  horses,  is  "  corrupt  in  its  tendency  and 
purpose,  and  prejudicial  in  the  last  degree  to  the  public  interest." 
If  they  had  stated  what  the  "purpose"  was,  I  should  have  nothing  to 
say.  Mr.  Brady  was  the  President  of  a  Stock  Association.  Elleard 
was  the  proprietor  of  a  race  track  and  large  grounds  near  this  city. 
The  number  of  horses  to  be  furnished  was  large,  and  I  suggested  to 
Elleard  that  "he  and  Brady  had  better  work  together,"  because  each 
with  his  own  peculiar  advantages  could  assist  the  other,  and  serve 
instead  of  prejudicing  the  "public  interests." 

Again,  the  Committee  strive  to  make  it  appear  that  those  horses 
were  all  furnished,  and  the  profits  in  their  sale  to  the  Government 
were  all  made,  at  one  time.  The  dealings  referred  to  embraced 


33 

several  contracts  or  orders,  and  extended  through  a  period  of  two  or 
more  months.  (See  Elleard's  affidavit,  Appendix,  No.  61.) 

As  to  the  $ 5000  alleged  to  have  been  left  in  my  hands  for  Bowen, 
I  refer  to  the  affidavits  of  Hahn,  Thompson  and  Bowen  for  a  full 
explanation  of  the  occurrence  and  complete  refutation  of  the  charge. 

I  have  shown  that  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  making  the  Haskell- 
Rollins  contract,  although  I  did  send  an  inspector  to  inspect  the 
mules,  as  requested  by  Major  Rollins.  (See  his  letter,  Appendix, 
No.  39.) 

The  Committee  introduce  Jno.  D.  Perry  for  the  purpose  of  show- 
ing, I  suppose,  that  he  sold  mules  to  me.  Haskell  then  had  his  large 
order  to  fill,  and  at  that  time  I  did  not  believe  that  more  mules  would 
soon  be  needed  than  he  had  undertaken  to  furnish.  It  is  an  entire 
mistake,  unintentional,  I  hope,  on  the  part  of  Perry,  in  saying  that 
he  sold  his  mules  to  me.  He  sold  to  Haskell,  as  the  accounts  in  my 
office  show.  The  Committee,  strangely  enough,  omit  to  mention  that 
Perry  received  f  119  each,  for  his  mules  ! 

"  Even  Holt"  could  not  charge  me  with  any  responsibility  in  the 
matter  of  the  fortifications  at  St.  Louis.  I  deem  it  proper,  however, 
to  call  attention  to  a  communication  on  the  subject  from  General 
Fremont  to  me,  (Appendix,  No.  62,)  and  to  state  that  duplicates  of 
the  contracts  which  I  signed,  by  General  Fremont's  orders,  were 
immediately  forwarded  to  your  office  at  Washington,  as  required  by 
the  regulation.  I  thus  performed  my  duty  in  the  premises,  and  your 
department  was  duly  informed  of  my  agency  in  the  matter,  and  the 
correction,  if  any  was  required,  could  have  been  applied  without  the 
agency  of  committees. 

It  is  upon  evidence  of  this  kind  that  the  Committee,  without 
examining  further  into  a  transaction  which  could  have  been  made  as 
clear  as  day,  found  these  accusations. 

The  Committee  comment  upon  an  offer  made  to  me  by  Thomas 
Hood  to  furnish  picket  pins.  They  do  not  notice  the  fact  that  the 
offer  was  made  on  the  9//i  of  April,  1861,  before  the  bombardment  of 
Fort  Sumpter,  and  before  the  President  called  for  volunteers.  They 
knew,  but  it  did  not  suit  their  purposes  to  state,  that  his  offer  was 
one  of  several  made  in  response  to  an  advertisement  for  proposals. 
They  ignore  another  fact,  too,  in  evidence  before  them,  viz :  That 
Hood's  sample  of  picket  pins  had  no  swivel  head,  and,  consequently, 
the  article  was  of  little  value,  either  intrinsically  or  with  regard  to 
the  use  for  which  they  were  needed — I  mean  for  the  cavalry  in  New 
Mexico.  The  bid  which  was  accepted  was  for  a  picket  pin  with  a 


34 

swivel  head,  and  was  worth  three  or  four  times  the  price  demanded 
for  the  other.  All  the  bids  were  sent  to  the  Quartermaster  General, 
according  to  the  requirements  of  law,  and  no  complaint  or  disapproval 
of  the  award  was  made.  The  encouragement  which  the  Committee, 
according  to  their  own  report,  gave  Hood  to  suppress  the  truth  and 
state  only  such  matters  as  would  enable  them  to  make  an  unfounded 
charge,  is  disgraceful  to  them.  Mr.  Halm's  affidavit,  in  the  Appendix, 
fully  answers  the  libel. 

I  will  now  notice,  with  all  the  brevity  I  can  command,  some  of  the 
most  prominent  charges,  imputations  and  stealthy  inuendoes,  in- 
dulged in  by  the  "War  Claim  Commissioners.  I  cannot  go  much  into 
details  without  swelling  this  communication  into  undue  proportion. 

Mr.  Holt,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  Secretary  of  War  (to  use  his 
own  language)  towards  the  close  of  the  late  administration.  He  takes 
especial  pains  to  state  (p.  14,  Report)  that  I  was  appointed  Q.  M. 
at  St.  Louis  by  Secretary  Floyd.  If  there  was  contamination  in  my 
appointment  by  reason  of  its  source,  I  have  only  to  say  that  Mr. 
Holt,  for  a  long  time,  stood  in  the  closest  relations  of  confidence 
and  friendship  with  his  predecessor,  Secretary  Floyd. 

The  Committee  mention  my  removal  and  the  appointment  of  Col. 
Grossman  as  my  successor,  and  say,  "  the  latter  is  a  gentleman  of 
known  purity  of  life  and  high  reputation  as  a  faithful  and  efficient 
officer."  The  sneaking  inuendo  contained  in  this  remark  clearly 
exhibits  the  invidious  spirit  of  the  author  of  the  report. 

But  the  Committee  would  have  furnished  a  solution  for  the  petty 
malice  of  the  author,  if  they  had  stated  the  fact  that  the  appointment 
of  Col.  Grossman  as  my  successor  was  made  by  Secretary  Holt 
himself,  "  towards  the  close  of  the  late  administration !"  It  may  be 
useful  to  those  charged  with  the  administration  of  the  Government 
to  know  something  more  of  the  antecedents  of  Joseph  Holt.  I,  there- 
fore, append  a  letter  which  was  extensively  circulated  at  the  time  of 
its  publication  through  Kentucky  and  the  West.  (Appendix  No.  63.) 

According  to  the  Report  of  the  War  Claim  Commission,  Mr.  Fox 
and  Col.  Blair,  M.  C.,  were  the  instrumentalities  to  displace  Grossman 
and  reinstate  myself  as  Q.  M.,  so  that  they  might  have  an  available 
man,  &c.  I  shall  leave  those  gentlemen  to  defend  themselves  against 
this  wanton  assault  of  these  Commissioners.  But  Holt's  scurrilous 
imputations  upon  myself,  in  the  paragraph  above,  I  repel  as  false  and 
contemptible. 

I  was  wholly  ignorant  of  Secretary  Holt's  desire  or  intention  to 
displace  me.  He  had  no  cause  or  reason  for  doing  so.  I  was 


35 

equally  ignorant  of  the  efforts  made  by  Col.  Blair  and  Mr.  Fox  to 
have  me  retained  on  duty  here.  Mr.  Blair  never  consulted  me  on 
the  subject,  and  whatever  he  did  was  of  his  own  volition. 

These  Commissioners,  "  dressed  in  a  little  brief  authority,"  sud- 
denly inflated  themselves  into  -vast  proportions,  and  taking  a  secret 
survey  of  the  universe,  assumed  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the  opinions, 
motives,  actions  and  interests  of  the  rest  of  mankind.  I  do  not 
recognize  their  pretensions,  nor  do  I  intend  to  submit  to  their  un- 
warrantable assumptions  and  imputations. 

The  Commissioners  (p.  5,  Report)  say,  "  Our  investigations,  from 
day  to  day,  have  afforded  strong  and  ever  multiplying  proofs  that  the 
administration  of  the  late  Q.  M.  McKinstry  was  marked  by  personal 
favoritism,  by  a  complete  indifference  to  the  public  interests,  and  by 
an  unceasing  anxiety  to  fill,  at  the  expense  of  the  nation,  the  pockets 
of  a  clique  of  men  who  surrounded  him,  and,  enjoying  the  uninter- 
rupted entree  to  his  office,  ever  stood  between  the  Government  and 
the  honest  merchants  and  mechanics  who  sought  to  have  dealings 
with  it."  This  wholesale  calumny  I  denounce  as  basely  false.  The 
words  "  our  investigations"  &c.,  imply  that  the  Commissioners  had 
before  them  credible  testimony  tending  to  prove  what  they  assert  as 
established  facts.  It  is  not  true  that  credible  proofs  of  the  character 
indicated  were  made  before  them.  Their  legal  adviser,  in  a  "  storm 
of  passion  and  profanity,"  declared,  in  the  dark  recesses  of  this 
modern  inquisition,  "  By  God!  we  can't  prove  anything  against 
McKinstry  "  And  later,  after  their  report  was  made  public,  one  of 
their  own  number  (Mr.  Campbell)  declared  in  this  city,  u  that  there 
was  no  proof  before  them  implicating  Gen.  McKinstry." 

Honorable  men,  it  seems  to  me,  can  have  but  little  respect  for  the 
sincerity  and  manner  in  which  their  secret,  ex  parte,  miscalled  inves- 
tigations were  made.  All  done  behind  my  back,  and  the  poor  privi- 
lege virtually  denied  to  me  of  meeting  my  accusers  face  to  face,  for 
I  was  ignorant  of  what  was  going  on  in  their  secret  and  midnight  ses- 
sions. To  call  such  a  procedure  an  investigation  is  mockery  and  shock- 
ing to  common  sense.  And,  moreover,  to  decree  conviction  of  guilt  for 
high  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  as  this  trio  of  modern  Neros  have 
done  in  my  case,  finds  its  parallel  only  in  the  edicts  of  a  Hastings 
and  a  Jeffries. 

To  give  color  to  their  calumny,  quoted  above,  the  Commissioners 

introduce  in  their  report  the  fortunes  of  Assistant  Quartermaster 

Dodds,  (p.  5).  It  is  left  to  inference  that  Capt.  Dodds  was  examined. 

Of  course  his  evidence,  like  the  rest,  is  a  sealed  book  to  me.  I  know 

3 


36 

nothing  of  it.  The  remarks  of  the  Commissioners,  however,  leave 
the  inference  plain  enough,  that  Captain  Dodds  testimony  reflected 
on  my  administration  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department.  Most 
fortunately,  I  have  it  in  my  power  to  defend  against  even  this  stab 
in  the  dark.  At  the  time  the  transactions  with  which  Captain 
Dodds  is  associated  occurred,  he  gave,  and  he  has  since  given,  the  most 
substantial  evidence  of  his  confidence  in  my  integrity.  I  received 
from  him  the  following  letters  at  their  respective  dates  : 

EVERETT  HOUSE,  ST.  Louis,  Sept.  4,  1861. 
Brig.   Gen.  J.  McKmsTRY,  St.  Louis. 
SIR: 

Being  an  admirer  of  your  mode  of  doing  business,  I  most  respectfully  ask 
for  a  place  on  your  staff  if  you  take  the  "  field,55  and  accept  any  volunteer  "aid." 
Having  been  present  at  a  meeting  in  Washington  City  last  week,  when  Quarter- 
master McKinstry  had  concealed  enemies  to  fight,  in  which  I  claim  to  have  done 
some  execution,  I  would  most  gladly  meet  the  enemies  of  our  country  under  the 
lead  of  so  gallant  a  chief.  My  position  now  is  Assistant  Quartermaster,  but  not 
assigned  for  duty,  and  am  anxious  to  see  service  under  some  officer  of  experience 
and  not  a  second  class  politician.  Having  a  practical  knowledge  of  all  connected 
with  transportation,  horses,  mules,  wagons,  &c.,  and  some  military,  not  enough 
to  be  more  than  a  good  Volunteer  Colonel,  I  submit  my  claims. 
Most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOS.  L.  DODDS,  Capt., 

Q.  M.  U.  S.  Vols. 


EVERETT  HOUSE,  ST.  Louis,  Sept.  8,  1861. 
Brig.   Gen.  J.  McKrasTRY,   Q.  M.  Gen. 
SIR: 

Not  being  in  any  manner  responsible  for  the  attempted  interference  with 
your  duties  by  civilians  or  others,  I  must  protest  against  being  made  to  bear  any 
of  their  want  of  courtesy,  and  having  made  myself  obnoxious  to  the  outside  pres- 
sure by  siding  with  the  regular  bureau  and  yourself,  you  will  please  not  assign 
me  for  duty  into  their  hands. 

Believing  I  possess  the  qualifications  to  discharge  the  duties  of  A.  Q.  M.  with 
credit  to  myself  and  the  interest  of  the  service,  having  some  practical  knowledge 
of  the  material  from  a  steamboat  down  to  a  gimblet,  and  having  been  assigned 
to  the  water  transportation,  I  would  be  glad  to  receive  explicit  instructions  from 
you. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOS.  L.  DODDS,  A.   Q.  M. 

His  path,  it  seems,  was  beset  (as  mine  has  been)  by  a  set  of  hungry 
wolves,  watching  with  stealthy  tread  to  seize  the  public  carcass. 
Captain  Dodds  in  his  extremity  appealed  to  me  for  protection  against 
them,  and  sought  a  position  upon  my  staff.  If  fraud  and  corruption 
held  undisputed  sway  during  my  administration  of  the  Qitartermas- 


37 

ter's  Department,  as  the  Commission  falsely  charge,  it  occurs  to  me 
that  Capt.  Dodds  would  have  manifested  his  "  unconquerable  determ- 
ination to  expose  frauds  upon  the  Government"  in  some  other  way 
than  is  shown  by  his  letters.  This  is  another  instance  of  the  gross 
injustice  of  the  miscalled  investigations  of  the  Commission.  Now 
the  facts  are  :  Capt.  Dodds  was  assigned  to  special  duty,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  order  of  Gen.  Fremont,  and  was  not  at  any  time  in 
charge  of  the  clothing  department,  or  acting  under  my  orders.  (Vide 
Appendix,  No.  64.)  This  disposes  of  the  pathetic  story  of  the 
"  fortunes  of  Assistant  Quartermaster  Dodds,"  composed  by  Joseph 
Holt. 

Again,  the  Commissioners  (p.  18)  say,  that  ''•the  contract  for  the 
roofing  of  Benton  Barracks  was  proved  to  have  been  tainted  with 
fraud"  and  with  the  proclivity  to  garble  evidence  that  has  character- 
ized their  whole  course,  the  Commissioners  leave  it  to  be  inferred 
that  the  Q.  M.  was  a  party  to  the  fraud. 

This  unfounded  charge  of  fraud,  and  the  manner  of  its  statement, 
seems  to  be  the  crowning  effort  of  the  Commissioners.  To  use  their 
own  graphic  language,  "  nothing  more  shameless  appears"  in  their 
report.  Their  assertion  is  "  perfectly  naked  in  the  hideousness  of 
its  profligacy." 

As  a  cover  for  their  dastardly  assault,  they  lug  into  their  report 
(p.  19)  the  ex  parte  statement  of  one  C.  H.  Pond,  a  weak,  addle- 
brained  fellow.  A  serious  refutation  of  Pond's  statement  in  this 
community  would  scarcely  be  expected.  To  "lie  like  a  war  bulletin" 
is  his  special  vocation.  The  time  of  the  occurrence  mentioned  by 
Pond  is  not  given,  but  he  bases  his  statement  on  information  given 
him  by  his  son-in-law,  Clapp.  In  refutation  of  the  story  of  Pond  in 
respect  to  the  Barracks  frauds,  as  well  as  of  the  examination  he  speaks 
of  before  me,  I  produce  the  sworn  recantation  of  his  son-in-law, 
Clapp,  and  the  affidavits  of  W.  R.  McCracken  and  A.  B.  Ogden. 
(Appendix,  Nos.  65  &  66.) 

The  statement  of  the  Commissioners  that  I  had  a  favorite,  or 
showed  favoritism,  in  awarding  the  contract  for  the  roofing  of 
Benton  Barracks  to  Mr.  Almon  Thompson,  is  positively  false.  I  had 
but  a  slight  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Thompson,  but  having  become 
satisfied  that  he  was  a  responsible  man  and  could  command  the 
means  to  enable  him  to  do  the  work,  and  finding,  too,  that  he  was 
the  only  one  of  all  the  bidders  who  had  the  material  on  hand  for  the 
roofing*  I  awarded  the  contract  to  him.  The  price,  $3.50,  when  all 
the  circumstances,  and  the  time  in  which  the  roofing-  was  to  be  done, 


38 

are  taken  into  consideration,  was  fair  and  reasonable.  The  com- 
manding General  deemed  the  Barracks  positively  essential  to  the 
public  service,  and  required  their  construction  in  the  shortest  possi- 
ble time.  I  simply  performed  my  duty,  in  obedience  to  orders,  by 
securing  the  services  of  a  responsible  man  who  had  the  material  on 
hand  to  complete  the  work.  The  charge  that  the  contract  with 
Thompson  was  fraudulently  awarded,  and  that  it  was  faithlessly 
executed,  is  also  false.  Opposed  to  the  charges  and  statements  of 
the  Commissioners,  I  submit  the  affidavits  of  A.  B.  Ogden,  the 
superintendent  of  the  work,  and  Almon  Thompson,  the  contractor, 
and  also  of  Messrs.  Charles  H.  Peck,  John  B.  Gibson,  Z.  T.  Knott, 
Henry  Kennedy  and  John  Ramsey,  (gentlemen  of  the  first  standing 
in  this  city,)  all  of  whom  state  that  they  thoroughly  examined  the 
work,  and  all  of  them  pronounce  it  well  executed.  (Appendix, 
Nos.  67  to  74.) 

The  apparently  wilful  misrepresentation  of  the  Commissioners,  in 
respect  to  the  expense  of  the  quarters  hired  for  General  Fremont 
deserves  a  passing  notice.  What  they  are  pleased  to  call  the  palatial 
residence  of  Mrs.  Brant,  furnished  the  most  suitable  and  commodi- 
ous quarters  that  could  be  found  in  this  city.  The  premises  were 
hired  at  a  time  when  the  duties  of  the  Commanding  General  and  his 
subordinate  officers  required  them  to  labor  early  and  late,  and  it  was 
an  important  desideratum  that  they  should  be  near  each  other.  It 
was  found,  on  inquiry,  that  the  same  amount  of  office  accommoda- 
tion, quarters  for  horses,  <fec.,  could  not  be  obtained  on  better  terms 
than  was  offered  by  Mrs.  Brant.  If  the  Commissioners  had  been 
influenced  by  any  degree  of  impartial  fairness,  they  would  have 
stated  the  amount  paid  by  the  Government  for  quarters  under  Gen- 
eral Halleck's  administration.  Oh  no  !  they  could  not  do  this  with- 
out marring  their  plans.  A  reference  to  the  accounts  in  your  office 
will  show  that,  through  the  last  winter,  General  Halleck  and  Staff 
have  been  paid  for  commutation  of  quarters  and  fuel,  including  of- 
fice rent,  sums  considerably  over  the  amount  I  paid  for  the  rent  of 
the  "  palatial  residence ! "  Facts  are  stubborn  things.  "  Even  Holt" 
can't  get  over  them  with  all  his  rhetoric. 

The  complaints  and  imputations  of  fraud  in  the  matter  of  railroad 
transportation,  are  stated  so  generally  in  the  Commissioner's  report, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether  or  not  they  include,  in  their  de- 
nunciation, any  of  the  payments  made  by  me  for  this  service.  The 
Commissioners  show  in  their  report,  however,  that  after  General 
Fremont  assumed  command  here,  another  officer  had  chief  control 


39 

of  railroad  transportation.  So  far  as  relates  to  my  own  action  in  re- 
spect to  railroad  service,  and  payments  on  account  of  it,  I  was  gov- 
erned by  instructions  issued  from  the  Quartermaster  General's  of- 
fice at  Washington. 

The  instructions  include  a  schedule  of  rates,  which  Quartermasters 
were  authorized  to  pay,  and  are  as  follows : 

QUARTERMASTER  GENERAL'S  OFFICE,         *) 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  July  27,  1861.  ) 
SIR: 

To  facilitate  the  business  of  this  Department,  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Scott, 
General  Manager  of  the  War  Department  for  railroads,  has  prepared  a  scale  of 
rates  which  will  be  allowed  for  the  transportation  of  troops  and  supplies  orer 
railroads.     A  copy  is  herewith  enclosed  for  your  information  and  guidance. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

M.  C.  MEIGS, 
Quartermaster  General. 
Major  J.  MCKINSTRY, 
Assistant  Quartermaster  General,    U.  S.  A.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

MEMORANDUM. 

In  making  settlements  with  railroad  companies  for  transportation  of  troops  and 
supplies,  please  observe  the  following  as  a  general  basis.  Per  passenger  per  mile 
two  (2)  cents  for  distance  moved.  Equipments,  munitions  and  supplies  accom- 
panying regiments  first-class  local  rates,  which  will  average  about  as  follows  : 

30  miles  or  less 10  cents  per  100  Ibs. 

50  "  15        "         « 

100  "          25        «         « 

150  "  40        "         « 

200  "          50        "         « 

300  «  75        «         " 

350  to  400  miles  not  exceeding  90  cents. 

For  transportation  of  horses  in  small  lots,  the  following  are  the  usual  estimated 
weights  of  railroad  companies  : 

Single  animal 3,000    Ibs. 

2  animals 4,000     " 

3  "  5,000  " 

4  "  6,500  " 

5  «  8,000  " 

6  "  9,000  « 

7  "  10,000  " 

8  «  11,000  « 

9  «  12,000  " 

Full  car  loads,  13  and  14  horses,  usually  charged  18,000  Ibs. 

All  other  supplies  forwarded  by  freight  trains  all  charged  local  rates,  according 
to  classifications  of  property,  which  will  usually  average  on  provisions  and 
heavy  freights  two  to  three  cents  per  ton  of  2,000  Ibs  per  mile.  Dry  goods? 
clothing  and  light  goods  will  average  three  to  five  cents  per  ton  of  2,000  Ibs.  per 
mile. 

(Signed,)  THOMAS  A.  SCOTT, 

General  Manager. 
N.  B. — Please  send  table  of  distances.     1  car  9  tons. 


40 

These  instructions  and  schedule  of  rates  were  seized  with  my  other 
papers,  books,  &c.,  at  the  instance  of  the  Commissioners,  and,  of 
course,  they  had  them  before  them.  Why  were  these  important 
papers  disregarded  and  no  mention  made  of  them  ?  The  answer 
is  obvious. 

Although  the  Commissioners  state  in  their  report  that  steamboat 
transportation  in  this  department  was,  by  special  orders,  placed  in 
charge  of  other  parties,  yet,  with  their  characteristic  proclivity  to 
strike  at  me  from  every  point,  they  say,  (p.  9)  :  "  The  Quartermaster 
appears  to  have  given  little  or  no  personal  attention  to  this  most 
important  branch  of  the  service."  Among  the  abuses  they  discovered 
in  the  steamboat  transportation,  they  instance  the  chartering  of  the 
steamboat  New  Sam  Gaty.  The  Commissioners,  it  is  plain  enough, 
seek  to  convey  the  impression  that  John  H.  Bowen  acted  as  agent  of 
steamboat  transportation  in  the  chartering  of  that  boat,  and  that  it 
occurred  during  my  administration  of  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment. Now,  it  was  in  proof  before  the  Commissioners,  that  Bowen 
had  then  ceased  to  be  agent,  and  that  the  transaction  took  place 
after  my  successor  had  assumed  control  of  the  Quartermaster's  De- 
partment. Of  course  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

This  is  only  another  instance  of  suppressio  veri  on  the  part  of  the 
Commissioners.  A  partial  statement  of  the  facts  conveys  a  false 
impression,  whereas  the  statement  of  the  whole  truth  conveys  a  very 
different  impression  and  acquits  me  of  any  fault,  for  I  did  nothing 
in  the  matter. 

In  the  appendix  to  this  communication  you  will  find  affidavits  of 
the  principal  large  dealers  of  whom  I  purchased  supplies,  and  also 
affidavits  of  other  parties,  all  of  which  disclose  important  facts  re- 
lating to  the  subjects  under  consideration.  I  respectfully  ask  your 
attention  to  these  sworn  statements.  They  are  the  voluntary  offer- 
ings of  men  fully  cognizant  of  the  facts  of  which  they  speak,  and  it 
will  be  found  on  examination  that  they  utterly  refute  and  repel  the 
accusations  made  against  me.  If  it  be  objected  that  the  testimony 
furnished  by  these  affidavits  is  altogether  ex  parte,  I  answer,  true  it 
is  ex  parte,  but  it  is  of  the  same  character  of  testimony  that  has  been 
heard  against  me,  and  it  is  on  ex  parte  testimony  alone  that  all  the 
accusations  against  me  are  founded.  If  I  had  been  allowed  to  meet 
my  accusers  face  to  face,  all  objections  on  either  side  to  ex  parte 
evidence  would  have  been  obviated. 

In  this  connexion  it  is  fit  to  further  speak  of  the  early  course  of 
the  unprincipled  and  reckless  men,  who,  singly  and  combined,  have 


41    . 

been  assailing  me  for  months  past  in  the  most  dastardly  manner. 
The  men  of  whom  I  now  speak  were  conspicuous  and  active  before 
the  Van  Wyck  Committee,  as  well  as  before  the  Commission  on  War 
Claims.     They  are  the  swift  witnesses  who  furnished  the  web  and 
woof  of  the  reports  in  question.     During  the  month  of  October  last, 
they  resorted  to  the  ingenious  contrivance  of  making  some  secret 
ex  parte  representation  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States  for 
Missouri,  and  obtained  an  order  convening  a  special  Grand  Jury. 
By  the  same  process  they  induced  the  Government  to  appoint  one  of 
their  own  number  and  a  member  of  the  "  Safety  Committee,"  James 
O.  Brodhead,  special  attorney  to  conduct  the  prosecution.     The  sig- 
nificance of  this  whole  proceeding  is  developed  by  the  fact  that  at 
the  beginning  of  the  October  Term  of  the  Court,  at  which  the  special 
order  above  was  made,  there  was  a  Grand  Jury  summoned  and  em- 
panneled  in  due  course.     Asa  S.  Jones,  Esq.,  was  the  United  States 
District  Attorney  charged  with  the  duty  of  conducting  all  prosecu- 
tions on  behalf  of  the  Government.     It  was  not  until  after  the  regu- 
lar Grand  Jury  for  the  Term  had  disposed  of  all  business  before 
them  and  been  discharged,  that  the  above  application  was  made  for 
a  special  Grand  Jury.     It  is  said,  but  I  know  not  with  what  truth, 
that  this  contrivance  of  using  a  Court  and  Grand  Jury  for  sinister 
purposes  originated  with  the  Van  Wyck  Committee.     Be  that  as  it 
may,  the  special  Grand  Jury  was  convened,  (of  course  the  jurors  were 
ignorant  of  the  sinister  purposes  they  were  expected  to  subserve,) 
and  before  them  the  whole  pack  pursued  me,  singly  and  in  couples, 
and  exhausted  their  entire  swearing  capital  to  induce  the  finding 
of  an  indictment  against  me  for  the  frauds  and  malversation  in  office 
that  are  charged  and  reiterated  in  the  reports  of  the  Committee  and 
Commission.    The  examination  before  the  Grand  Jury  was  ex  parte, 
and  this  cabal  of  talebearers,  maliciously  intent  on  my  destruction, 
had  it  all  their  own  way.     That  tribunal,  however,  discredited  them 
by  ignoring  the  bill !    What  a  commentary  upon  the  conduct  and 
credibility  of  my  accusers  ! ! 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  state,  what  every  intelligent  man  knows, 
that  the  criminal  acts  charged  against  me  by  the  Committee  and 
Commission,  are  punishable  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States. 
An  indictment,  by  fair  means  or  foul, was  the  thing  deemed  all  essential 
to  my  overthrow.  There  was  a  thorough  raking  over  of  this  whole 
Department  for  witnesses  and  proofs  against  me,  and  Pond,  Filley, 
Peay,  et  id  omne  genus,  were  examined  before  the  special  Grand 
Jury.  The  prosecutors,  however,  missed  their  aim,  for,  after  a  pro- 


.  42 

tracted  and  patient  hearing,  the  Grand  Jury  acquitted  me  of  the 
high  crimes  and  misdemeanors  charged  against  me.  This  result 
terminated  the  chase  in  that  direction. 

While  I  complain,  and  not  without  cause,  that  a  Committee  of 
Congress,  influenced,  as  is  plain  to  be  seen,  by  passion  and  prejudice, 
(not  to  mention  other  and  baser  influences),  have  condemned  me 
without  a  hearing,  I  have  still  greater  cause  of  complaint  of  the 
course  of  the  Commissioners  on  War  Claims,  who,  in  humble  imita- 
tion of  their  prototype,  (the  Committee),  and  as  if  to  ape  them  in 
the  violation  of  every  principle  of  justice  and  rule  of  decency  among 
honorable  men,  have  done  the  same  thing. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Commissioners  acted  upon 
claims  growing  out  of  the  very  transactions  that  they  denounce  in 
unmeasured  terms  as  fraudulent.  Two  of  the  Commissioners  are 
reputed  to  be  lawyers,  and  one  of  them  is  dignified  with  the  title  of 
Judge  !  It  is  but  reasonable,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  they  are 

familiar  with  at  least  one  maxim  of  the  law : 

\ 

"Ex  dolo  male,  non  oritur  actio." 

It  is  a  familiar  principle  that  a  right  of  action  or  valid  claim  can- 
not arise  out  of  fraud.  Equally  familiar  is  the  rule  that  fraud  avoids 
a  contract  ab  initio  both  at  law  and  in  equity.  And  will  not  the 
course  of  the  Commissioners  excite  astonishment  when  the  fact  is 
disclosed  that  they  did  not  reject  a  single  claim  on  the  ground  of  its 
being  fraudulent !  Such  is  the  fact,  and  I  am  borne  out  in  this 
statement  by  the  record  of  their  own  proceedings,  as  well  as  by  other 
and  more  reliable  data,  derived  from  other  sources.  Any  claim 
tainted  with  fraud  is  void  in  toto,  and  should  have  been  rejected  in 
toto  for  that  reason.  This  is  the  plain  law,  and  it  has  its  root  in 
sound  morals.  There  is  no  half-way  house  at  which  to  halt  under 
the  rule  governing  questions  of  fraud.  Yet  the  Commissioners  (as 
appears  by  their  own  report)  allowed  claims  involving  vast  sums 
that  grew  out  of  the  very  transactions  which  they  themselves  de- 
clare were  fraudulent ! 

It  may  be  said  in  extenuation  of  the  inconsistent  action  of  the 
Commissioners,  that  they  reduced  some  of  the  claims  that  they  con- 
sidered fraudulent.  It  is  true  they  made  their  own  charges  of  fraud 
the  pretext  for  reducing  some  of  the  claims.  But,  I  apprehend,  that 
they  will  not  be  allowed  in  that  way  to  quibble  out  of  the  dilemma 
in  which  their  own  inconsistent  and  unprecedented  course  has  placed 
them.  To  undertake  to  reduce  or  divide  a  claim  that  is  fraudulent 


43 

in  its  inception  and  allow  a  part  of  it,  is  an  invention  in  jurisprudence 
for  which  the  Commissioners  are  entitled  to  letters  patent.  But  in 
their  zeal  to  keep  up  the  cry  of fraud  Jr and,  fraud,  in  respect  to  my 
official  transactions,  the  Commissioners  stultify  themselves  by  doing 
so.  There  would  have  been  some  consistency  and  reason  in  their 
action  if  they  had  candidly  and  honestly  said,  that  they  considered 
the  prices  charged  for  supplies  in  given  cases  too  high,  and  that  they 
had  cut  them  down  for  that  reason. 

As  such  a  course  would  involve  only  a  matter  of  judgment,  there 
could  have  been  no  substantial  ground  of  complaint.  The  familiar 
quantum  meruit  principle  to  allow  for  articles  furnished  what  they 
are  reasonably  worth,  no  one  would  find  fault  with. 

As  already  remarked,  it  involves  simply  a  matter  of  judgment  as 
to  values.  It  is  not  only  a  just  but  safe  rule  for  all  parties  concerned 
— for  the  Government  as  well  as  for  individuals.  I  adopted  and 
applied  it  in  all  my  transactions  not  controlled  by  express  agreement. 

And,  after  all,  did  not  the  Commissioners  themselves  follow  the 
same  rule,  taking  their  own  action  as  the  criterion  by  which  to  judge 
them  ?  The  result  is  not  changed  simply  because  they  gave  a  wrong 
reason  for  the  conclusion  they  arrived  at.  The  whole  matter,  as  it 
seems  to  me,  resolves  itself  into  this  :  The  Commissioners,  after  hear- 
ing proofs,  considered  some  of  the  charges  more  than  the  articles 
furnished  were  reasonably  worth,  and  they  cut  down  the  prices  to  a 
reasonable  value.  This  done,  they  illogically  conclude  that  the  claim 
thus  cut  down  was  fraudulent  in  its  inception.  This  is  not  an  exag- 
gerated or  unfair  statement  of  the  action  of  the  Commissioners,  so 
far  as  practical  results  are  concerned. 

It  would  swell  this  communication  into  undue  proportions  were  I 
to  attempt  to  expose  all  the  inconsistencies  and  falsehoods  of  my  tra- 
ducers.  I  have,  therefore,  been  content  to  notice  the  most  conspicu- 
ous. There  are  many  other  facts  not  incorporated  in  this  paper,  or 
referred  to,  which  greatly  strengthen  and  confirm  all  that  I  have 
stated  in  the  foregoing  pages.  Several  letters  not  before  specially 
referred  to  are  annexed,  showing  the  condition  of  things  in  Missou- 
ri, the  emergencies  and  authority  under  which  1  acted,  and  the 
efforts  I  have  made  to  have  my  transactions  inquired  into.  (Ap- 
pendix, Nos.  76  to  92.)  I  have  endeavored  to  present,  in  a  con- 
densed and  intelligible  form  the  leading  facts  connected  with  my 
official  transactions  as  Chief  Quartermaster  of  the  Western  Depart- 
ment, during  a  period  of  the  most  embarrassing  exigencies  of  the 
army  service  known  in  its  history.  And  for  the  purpose  of  develop- 


44 

ing  the  leading  facts  connected  with  those  transactions,  and  with  a 
view  to  vindicate  my  character  and  conduct  from  the  malicious  as- 
persions that  have  been  so  wantonly  heaped  upon  me,  I  have  pre- 
pared this  communication  in  connection  with  the  rendering  of  my 
final  accounts  with  the  Government. 

This  course,  in  the  present  attitude  of  affairs,  appears  to  me  the 
only  one  left  open  to  me  to  obtain  even  a  partial  hearing  in  self- 
defence. 

I  adopt  it  with  feelings  I  cannot  trust  myself  to  describe,  yet  in 
the  hope  that  I  shall  receive  (as  from  recollections  of  the  past  I  feel 
a  right  to  claim)  the  consideration  of  those  at  least  who  hold  with 
me  the  same  relations  to  the  Government. 

Upon  the  facts,  pure  and  simple,  I  rest  my  vindication ;  and  upon 
the  consideration  of  them,  I  cheerfully  abide  the  impartial  judgment 
of  all  honorable  men. 

For  your  convenience  in  examining  into  the  transactions  to  which 
this  communication  relates,  I  transmit  a  printed  copy  herewith,  and 
conclude  with  the  following  resume  thereof. 

I  have  shown  that,  at  the  inception  of  the  rebellion,  a  self-consti- 
tuted "  Safety  Committee"  composed  of  meddling  politicians  and 
aspirants  for  position,  stimulated  by  the  desire  of  gain,  assumed  to 
interfere  with,  and  attempted  to  control,  the  military  authorities  in 
the  Western  Department.  The  same  parties,  and  their  associates, 
undertook  to  monopolize  the  furnishing  of  supplies  for  the  entire  ar 
my  in  the  West.  This  is  shown  by  the  letters  of  How,  Gurnee,  Ben 
Farrar,  and  others,  in  connection  with  the  facts  and  circumstances 
which  I  have  brought  to  your  notice. 

Of  the  military  officers  in  the  Department,  next  to  the  General 
commanding,  I  held  the  most  difficult  and  responsible  position.  The 
exigencies  of  the  service,  suddenly  and  beyond  all  former  precedent, 
swelled  the  business  of  the  Quartermaster  into  immense  proportions. 
Requisitions  for  supplies  crowded  upon  me  with  such  rapidity,  and 
were  so  varied  and  large,  that  now,  when  I  take  a  calm  retrospect  of 
the  past,  I  am'  only  amazed  that  I  was  able  to  discharge  the  duties 
and  perform  the  labor  that  were  devolved  upon  me.  It  is  apparent 
that  the  vicious  interference  with  the  military,  and  the  effort  to 
monopolize  the  patronage  of  the  Government,  of  which  I  have 
spoken,  were  early  and  especially  directed  to  the  Quartermaster's 
department. 


45 

And,  because  I  would  not  yield  to  the  dictation  and  unceasing  de- 
mands of  the  political  and  army  cormorants,  who  beset  my  path,  they 
became  hostile  to  me,  and  manifested  their  hostility  in  the  shameless 
manner  I  have  pointed  out.  The  same  meddling  influences  that  ren- 
dered the  administration  of  General  Harney  powerless  for  good  were 
brought  to  bear,  with  redoubled  vigor,  on  me.  I  have  shown  that 
my  accusers,  for  the  most  part,  are  the  same  parties  who  engaged  in 
the  foray  against  General  Harney,  and  the  same  who  attempted  to 
control  and  monopolize  the  Quartermaster's  department.  As  to  the 
criticisms  and  complaints,  in  respect  to  the  manner  in  which  I  trans- 
acted the  business  of  my  office,  I  have  shown  that  I  pursued  the  reg- 
ulations of  the  army  as  far  as  practicable,  in  view  of  the  exigencies 
of  the  service. 

I  have  exhibited  a  series  of  orders  issued  by  the  General  Com- 
manding which  it  was  my  duty  to  obey,  and  which  show  the  author- 
ity under  which  I  acted  whenever  I  deviated  from  the  army  regula- 
tions. In  addition,  I  was  by  law  and  the  regulations  referred  to  en- 
trusted with  a  large  discretion  as  to  the  time  and  mode  of  purchasing 
supplies.  The  letters  and  instructions  I  have  exhibited,  and  par- 
ticularly the  authority  as  well  as  the  approval  of  the  Quartermaster 
General  himself,  establish  beyond  all  cavil  that  my  course  was  fully 
justified  by  competent  authority. 

The  statement  of  the  Commissioners  on  War  Claims  that  the  mo- 
neys borrowed  by  the  Government  from  the  Banks,  and  placed  in  my 
custody  for  disbursement,  were  "  loosely  entered"  in  my  books,  is 
disproved.  A  complete  abstract  verbatim  of  those  entries  is  con- 
tained in  the  Appendix. 

The  original  entries,  as  they  stand  in  my  cash  book,  will  be  ex- 
hibited to  you  with  this  by  my  cashier ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
entries  are  full,  regular,  and  in  due  form.  Doubtless,  this  and  other 
false  representations  to  the  President  led  him  to  state,  (as  I  am 
credibly  informed  he  did,)  that  I  had  "  failed  to  account  for  upwards 
of  a  million  of  dollars." 

My  returns,  now  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster  General, 
account  for  every  cent  of  money  that  ever  came  into  my  custody.  I 
invite  examination  and  the  most  rigid  criticisms  of  my  accounts. 
The  false  suggestion  that  I  refused  to  render  my  accounts  is  refuted 
by  the  Exhibits  now  presented.  Instead  of  delaying  or  refusing,  I 
was  prevented  from  rendering  my  accounts  by  the  arrest  of  myself 
and  clerks,  and  seizure  of  my  books  and  papers. 


46 

It  is  made  as  clear  as  the  noon-day  sun  in  the  foregoing  pages  that 
no  opportunity  has  ever  been  afforded  me  to  furnish  proofs  to  repel 
the  accusations  against  me,  nor  have  I  been  called  on  to  "  explain 
any  account  or  transaction  that  might  seem  to  need  it."  On  the 
contrary,  such  privileges  have  been  denied  to  me.  Nor  has  there 
ever  been  a  fair  and  impartial  examination  into  my  transactions. 
These  facts  are  established  beyond  question. 

The  whole  course  of  the  Van  Wyck  Committee  in  this  department 
was  inquisitorial,  partisan,  and  unfair,  and  the  demoralizing  prac- 
tices of  the  Committee  invited  and  encouraged  false  swearing.  But 
not  content  with  this,  the  Committee  garbled  portions  and  suppressed 
other  portions  of  the  evidence  heard  by  them. 

The  proofs  and  explanations  here  given,  refute  and  repel  the 
wholesale  accusations  and  calumnies,  in  gross  and  in  detail,  of  this 
itinerant  Congressional  Committee. 

Next  in  order  it  is  made  to  appear  that  the  Commissioners  of 
War  Claims  followed  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  their  predecessors, 
the  Yan  Wyck  Committee,  and  dealt  largely  in  charging  fraud  and 
malversation,  without  proof  on  which  to  found  either.  The  preju- 
dice and  personal  hostility  of  their  legal  adviser,  S.  T.  Glover,  are 
now  unmasked.  His  whole  course  is  marked  by  prejudice  and 
passion. 

The  examinations  of  the  Commissioners,  as  is  shown,  were  secret 
and  partial,  and,  though  instructions  were  given  that  I  should  be 
invited  to  "  explain  any  transaction  that  might  seem  to  need  it,"  no 
such  invitation  was  ever  extended  to  me.  It  is  apparent  that  the 
Commissioners  gave  loose  rein  to  their  passions  and  prejudices,  and 
indulged  in  charges  of  the  gravest  character,  which  rest  alone  on 
their  ipse  dixit. 

I  have  shown  the  condition  of  affairs  in  this  Department  during 
the  time  I  administered  the  office  of  Quartermaster.  The  financial 
condition  and  credit  of  the  Government  during  the  time  of  these 
transactions  are  also  shown,  and  in  the  proper  connexion  I  have 
brought  to  view  the  difficult  and  embarrassing  circumstances  that 
surrounded  the  operations  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department. 

It  is  shown,  too,  that  I  exercised  proper  care,  industry,  and  econ- 
omy, in  all  my  official  transactions,  and  no  loss  has  happened  to  the 
Government. 

Thus  I  have  demonstrated  that  the  grave  accusations  against  me 
were  originated  by  falsehood  and  ill-will  for  selfish  and  malicious 
purposes. 


47 

In  conclusion,  allow  me  to  say  that  it  has  given  me  no  pleasure  to 
review  the  conduct  of  my  accusers.  I  have  done  so  from  a  sense  of 
duty  to  those  who  are  near  and  dear  to  me.  If  I  have  expressed 
myself  with  some  severity,  it  is  because  I  feel  deeply  the  wrongs  and 
injuries  that  I  have  suffered.  I  trust  that  some  consideration  may 
be  given  to  the  trying  circumstances  under  which  I  have  spoken  in 
self-defence. 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

Brig. -Gen.,   U.  S.  A. 


APPENDIX, 


[No.  1.] 

SPRINGFIELD,  Mo.,  Nov.  8th,  1861. 
SIB  : 

I  have  the  honor  to  state  for  the  information  of  the  General  commanding  the 
5th  Division  that  the  8th  Iowa  Infantry  had  no  transportation  on  the  9th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1861.     I  had  one  six  mule  team  which  I  brought  from  Jefferson  City. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obd't  serv't, 

FRED.  STEELE, 
T.  W.  SWEENEY,  A.  A.  Adft.  Gen.  Col.  Sth  Iowa  Inf. 


[No.  2.] 

SPRINGFIELD,  Mo.,  Nov.  8th,  1861. 
SIR: 

I  have  the  honor  to  say  that  no  transportation  was  in  possession,  October 
9th,  (at  the  time  the  Secretary  of  War  was  at  Syracuse,  Mo.,)  of  the  three  com- 
panies of  regular  Cavalry,  except  four  mules  belonging  to  Co.  "  D,"  4th  Cav- 
alry ;  they  were  brought  from  Arkansas. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obd't  serv't, 

E.  W.  CRITTENDEN, 

Capt .  4th  Cavalry,  com'ding  squadron  and  half. 
Brig.  Gen.  McKmsiRY,  Com? ding— present. 


[No.  3.] 

SPRINGFIELD,  Mo.,  Nov.  8th,  1861. 
SIR: 

In  reply  to  your  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  transportation  in  pos- 
session of  the  regular  Cavalry  when  at  Syracuse,  I  have  the  honor  to  state  that 
the  only  means  of  transportation  then  in  the  command  were  four  mules  belong- 
ing to  "D"  company. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obd't  serv't, 

M.  J.  KELLY, 
Lt.  Com'ding  Co.  "  C,"  4//i  Cav.,  U.  S.  A.,  and  A.  A.  Qr.  Master. 

Brig.  Gen.  McKiNSTRY,  Com9 ding  5th  Division,  Army  of  the  West. 


50 

[So.  4:] 

CAMP  NEAR  SPRINGFIELD,  Oct.  8th,  1861. 
Major  Gen'l  McKiNSTRY,  Com? ding  5th  Division. 

SIR: 

I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  at  the  time  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  Sec- 
retary of  War,  reviewed  the  troops  at  Syracuse,  this  battalion  of  1st  and  2d  In- 
fantry had  no  transportation  whatever. 

I  am,  sir,  very  truly,  your  obd't  serv't, 

KINZIE  BATES, 
2d  Lieut.  1st  Infantry,  A.  A.  Q.  M. 


[No.  5.] 

Statement  of  transportation  on  hand  and  in  the  use  of  the  1st  Reg.  Neb.  Terr. 
Vols.,  on  the  2d  October,  1861 : 

23  six  mule  teams,  wagons  and  harness  complete  ; 
2  light  wagons,  with  four  horses  each,  in  hospital  service  ; 
2  ambulances,  two  horses  each,  in  hospital  service. 

I  certify  the  above  statement  is  correct. 

LEE  P.  GILLETTE, 
Nov.  8,  1861.  Lieut,  and  Act.  R.  Q.  M.  1st  Neb.  Vols. 


[No.  6.] 

HEADQUARTERS  7th  Reg't  Mo.  Vols.,  2d  Brig.,  5th  Division,  Army ") 
of  the  West,  Camp  near  Springfield,  Mo.,  Nov.  9th,  1861.  } 
GENERAL : 

In  reply  to  your  inquiry  "When  my  regiment  was  furnished  transpor- 
tation, and  the  amount?"  I  state  that  whilst  at  Rolla,  Mo.,  I  was  supplied  with  23 
six  mule  teams.  Retained  them  about  a  week,  when,  by  order  of  the  command- 
ing officer,  they  were  turned  over  to  the  Q.  M.  Dep't.  My  regiment  was  then 
ordered  to  Jefferson,  and  from  thence  to  Syracuse,  without  transportation,  other 
than  the  Pacific  Railroad.  At  Syracuse,  after  the  review  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  and  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont,  I  was  furnished  with  17  wagons  for  my  regi- 
ment; a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  two  horse,  four  horse  and  six  mule  teams — 
most  of  the  animals  rendered  unfit  for  service  for  want  of  shoeing.  At  this  pres- 
ent moment  my  transportation  is  reduced  to  11  wagons  for  the  entire  regiment, 
the  Q.M.  Dep't  having  taken  possession  of  my  other  teams  for  the  transportation 
of  army  supplies. 

Respectfully, 

JOHN  D.  STEVENSON, 

Col.  1th  Reg't  Mo.  Vols. 
Brig.  Gen.  JUSTUS  McKrasTRY, 

Comd'g  5th  Division,  Army  of  the  West. 


51 

[No.  7.] 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  17th,  1861. 

Hon.   C.  VAN  WYCK,    Chairman  Congressional  Investigating   Committee,    Bar- 
num's  Hotel,  St.  Louis  : 

SIR — I  am  told  for  the  first  time,  this  morning,  that  your  Committee  are 
sitting,  and  have  been  for  some  days  past,  at  Barnum's  Hotel,  in  secret  session, 
examining  witnesses  and  taking  testimony  relative  to  the  contracts,  orders  and 
expenditures  for  the  public  service  by  the  Quartermaster's  department  at  thi« 
place.  This  is  the  first  time  that  I,  who  am  the  chief  clerk  of  General  McKin- 
stry,  late  Chief  Quartermaster  of  this  Department,  have  been  aware  of  the  fact. 
General  McKinstry  himself — who  is  now  in  the  field  with  the  army — so  far  as  I 
am  aware,  has  been  in  like  manner  ignorant  of  the  investigations  now  going  on. 

It  will  be  impossible,  as  I  conceive,  for  your  Committee  fully  to  understand 
the  action  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department  here,  without  conference  with 
General  McKinstRy  or  myself,  or  examination  of  papers  in  this  office  in  connec- 
tion with  such  explanations  as  are  needful  for  the  proper  understanding  of  the 
business  transacted  here,  to  do  justice  either  to  the  public  or  the  late  Quarter- 
master. In  the  absence  of  General  McKinstry  with  the  army,  I  am  induced  to 
say  that  I  am  ready  to  attend  upon  your  Committee  at  any  time  with  all  papers 
needful  for  your  examination,  and  trust  that  you  will,  at  any  time,  call  upon  me, 
as  representing  General  McKinstry,  for  any  explanations  of  any  transaction 
which  may  appear  to  you  to  require  explanation.  All  papers  and  documents  in 
this  office  will  be  most  cheerfully  presented  for  your  examination  and  inspection. 
Justice  to  General  McKinstry,  and  a  desire  to  aid  your  Committee  by  every 
means  in  my  power,  has  induced  me  to  make  this  communication. 

May  I  also  ask  to  be  permitted  to  have  access  to,  and  a  perusal  of  such  testi- 
mony as  may  have  been  taken  by  your  Committee.  This  may  be  very  important, 
in  order  to  enable,  if  necessary,  any  needful  explanations. 

With  great  respect,  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant. 

H.  W.  G.  CLEMENTS. 


[No.  8.] 


QUARTERMASTER'S  OFFICE,  ) 


ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  19,  1861. 
To  the  Congressional  Investigating  Committee,  Barnum's  Hotel : 

GENTLEMEN  —  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  communication  of  the  17th  instant — 
through  your  clerk,  Mr.  Andrews,  addressed  to  me,  in  reply  to  mine  of  the  same 
date,  to  your  Chairman. 

In  reply  to  your  inquiries  for  statistical  information  respecting  horses  and 
mules  purchased  by  this  Department,  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  herewith  the 
information  desired. 

Allow  me  to  remind  your  Committee  that  the  latter  portion  of  my  letter  of  the 
17th  instant,  has  not  been  noticed  by  you. 

You  will  pardon  me  for  further  saying  that  I  am  informed  on  unquestionable 
authority  that,  at  the  suggestion  of  some  personal  enemy  of  General  McKinstry, 
you  are  taking  testimony  which  is  sought  to  be  used  to  the  personal  injury  of 
that  officer,  and  that,  too,  in  his  absence,  without  his  knowledge,  and  with  no 
opportunity  afforded  him  for  replying  to,  or  explaining  the  facts  relative  thereto. 
4 


52 

I  cannot  refrain  from  suggesting  to  you,  whether  such  a  course  pursued  towards 
an  officer  absent  in  the  field,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  is  either  fair  or  proper. 
As  a  friend  of  General  McKinstry,  as  the  chief  clerk  of  this  department,  lately 
under  his  charge,  I  here  enter  my  protest  against  any  such  secret  and  inquisito- 
rial investigations,  and,  in  his  behalf,  demand  that  he  be  treated  by  your  Com- 
mittee in  that  fair  and  open  manner  which  it  is  the  right  of  every  officer  and  cit- 
izen to  have  extended  towards  him. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  W.  G.  CLEMENTS. 

[No.  9.] 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  28,  1861. 

To  the  Congressional  Investigating  Committee,  Barnum's  Hotel,  St.  Louis,  Mo. : 
GENTLEMEN — I  again  beg  leave  to  call  your  attention  to  the  request  contained 
in  the  last  clause  of  my  letter  to  your  Committee,  through  its  Chairman,  Mr.  Van 
Wyck,  and  bearing  date  the  17th  of  the  present  month,  wherein  is  asked,  if  in 
the  absence  of  General  McKinstry  in  the  field,  with  the  army,  you  would  allow 
me,  his  chief  clerk  in  the  Quartermaster's  department,  to  have  access  to,  and 
peruse  the  testimony,  taken  before  your  Committee  relative  to  the  Quartermas- 
ter's depaetment  here,  while  under  charge  of  that  officer.  To  that  request  —  al- 
though your  attention  was  again  called  to  the  fact  that  you  had  failed  to  notice 
it — I  have,  as  yet,  received  no  reply.  I,  again,  respectfully,  repeat  the  request, 
and  that  you  will,  also,  send  me  a  reply  to  the  same.  I  have  previously  inform- 
ed you  that  when  a  secret  investigation  upon, — without  notice  to  the  party  whose 
doings  were  the  subject  of  investigation,  —  something  might  be  made  to  appear 
which  might  seem  to  need  explanation.  No  man's  character,  be  he  whom  he  may, 
can  be  safe  against  such  ex  parte  examinations,  and  especially  where,  as  I  aver 
has  been  the  case  here,  such  examinations  have  been,  in  part,  conducted  at  the 
instance  of  personal  enemies  to  General  McKinstry,  and  with  the  avowed  purpose 
of  doing  him  injury  A  partial  examination  upon  the  subject  of  an  alleged  sale  of 
certain  animals  by  one  Mr.  Peay,  to  the  Government,  has  caused  it  to  be  charged 
that,  in  that  particular  instance,  a  fraud  upon  the  Government  was  perpetrated. 
The  evidence  is  in  existence,  and  can  be  given  before  you,  proving  the  entire  fal- 
sity of  that  charge.  The  witnesses  to  that  effect  are  ready  to  go 'before  you,  and 
you  shall  be  furnished  with  them,  if  you  inform  me  that  such  testimony  will  be 
heard  by  you.  It  may  be  —  although  I  am  ignorant  on  the  subject  —  that  other 
matters  may  seem  to  you  to  need  explanation.  If  such  is  the  case,  will  you 
promptly  advise  me  of  the  fact  ?  I  ask  this,  not  simply  as  a  favor,  but  as  aright 
which  cannot  justly  or  equitably  be  refused  to  the  humblest  citizen,  and  especi- 
ally requested  in  favor  of  one  who  has  been  clothed  with  an  important  public 
trust,  as  was  General  McKinstry,  and  who,  from  the  nature  of  his  present  duties, 
has  no  opportunity  of  appearing  before  you  in  person.  While  General  McKin- 
stry challenges  the  most  searching  examination  into  all  of  his  acts  and  doings  as 
Quartermaster  of  this  department,  he  has  a  right  to  expect  that  it  will  be  con- 
ducted with  fairness,  in  justice  to  himself.  May  I  request  that  you  will  admit 
my  letters  to  your  Committee,  to  be  placed  on  the  file  of  its  proceedings,  and, 
also,  that  you  will  call  before  you,  for  examination,  Mr.  J.  S.  Pease. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  G.  W.  CLEMENTS. 


53 

[No.  10.] 

ST.  Louis,  Nov.  23, 1861. 

GENERAL  : 

Hon.  Judge  Holt  is  ready  to  begin  an  examination  of  your  papers.  I 
have  suggested  that  one  of  your  confidential  clerks  should  be  present  at  all  times 
when  the  Commissioners  are  examining  the  matter.  Will  you  designate  a  person 
to  act  for  you  in  such  capacity? 

Very  respectfully,  your  obd't  serv't, 

SAM'L  R.  CURTIS, 
Brig.  Gen.  J.  McKiNSTRY,  Arsenal,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Brig.  Gen.,  frc. 


[No.  11.] 

ST.  Loms,  Nov.  23, 1861. 
GENERAL  : 

I  have  yours  of  this  date,  in  which  you  recommend  that  one  of  mv 
confidential  clerks  be  present  at  the  examination  of  my  papers,  &c.,  before  Judge 
Holt  and  his  associates. 

In  reply,  I  have  to  state  that  I  have  no  confidential  clerks,  and  never  have  had 
while  in  the  discharge  of  my  official  duties.  Still,  it  is  important  to  me  that  my 
papers  should  be  properly  examined,  and  I  therefore  request  that  my  attorney, 
John  M.  Krum,  Esq.,  be  permitted,  in  my  behalf,  to  be  present  at  the  examina- 
tion of  my  papers. 

If  any  examination  is  made  I  hope  it  may  be  what  I  have  been  asking  to  have 
done — a  full  and  a  fair  one. 

Respectfully, 

Brig.  Gen.  CURTIS,  St.  Louis.  J.  McKiNSTRY. 

[No.  12.] 

ST.  Louis,  Nov.  23,  1861. 
GENERAL : 

I  have  just  received  a  message  from  General  McKinstry,  requesting 
me  to  wait  on  you  with  the  enclosed  letter. 

He  has  communicated  to  me  the  substance  of  his  communication  to  you,  and 
he  has  requested  me  to  be  present  at  the  proposed  examination  of  his  official 
papers.  This  I  am  willing  to  do,  and  now  request  that  you  will  inform  me  when 
it  will  be  the  pleasure  of  the  Commissioners  to  enter  upon  the  proposed  examin- 
ation. I  can  attend  at  any  time,  either  in  the  morning  of  the  day  or  in  the 
evening,  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  Commissioners. 

Respectfully, 

Brig.  Gen.  S.  R.  CURTIS.  JOHN  M.  KRUM. 

[No.  13.] 

ST.  Louis,  Dec.  9th,  1861. 
To  THE  PRESIDENT  : 

It  is  known  to  you  that  in  the  early  part  of  last  month,  Brig- 
General  J.  McKinstry,  while  on  his  return  with  the  army  from  South-west  Mis- 
souri, was  arrested  under  a  military  order,  emanating,  as  is  alleged,  from  the 
War  Department.  He  was  immediately  transferred  to  a  building  within  the 


54 

walls  of  the  arsenal  in  this  city,  where  he  has  been  held  ever  since,  restrained 
of  his  liberty  by  military  authority.  It  is  also  known  to  you,  no  doubt,  that 
General  McKinstry,  within  a  few  days  after  his  arrest,  addressed  a  respectful 
communication  through  the  proper  channel,  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  asking  to 
be  informed  of  the  grounds  of  his  arrest,  imprisonment,  &c.  Up  to  the  present 
time  he  has  received  no  reply  to  his  communication. 

About  a  week  ago  a  paragraph  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  to  the  effect  that 
charges  had  been  preferred  against  General  McKinstry,  and  that  a  court  martial 
had  been  ordered.  Acting  on  the  presumption  that  inasmuch  as  he  had  been 
summarily  arrested  and  subjected  to  the  indignity  of  imprisonment,  he  would 
have  early  opportunity  of  vindicating  his  honor  in  due  course  of  law,  and  in  an- 
ticipation of  a  trial,  he  retained  me  as  his  counsel.  Although  I  stand  in  this 
relation  to  General  McKinstry,  it  is  proper  for  me  to  say  that  I  do  not  write  this 
communication  at  his  instance,  nor  as  his  counsel — I  am  prompted  to  it  by  other 
considerations. 

There  are  peculiar  circumstances  attending  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of 
General  McKinstry  that  savor  of  persecution,  and  of  an  attempt  to  visit  punish- 
ment upon  him  before  conviction  of  any  offence.  Nearly  four  weeks  have 
elapsed  since  his  arrest  and  imprisonment,  yet  he  is  kept  in  ignorance  of  the 
cause  of  his  arrest,  and  no  charges  (so  far  as  he  knows)  have  been  preferred 
against  him.  He  is  kept  under  military  surveillance  and  duress.  He  is  not  even 
allowed  the  privilege  of  visiting  his  wife  and  children,  living  in  this  city. 

The  very  stringent  and  unusual  course  pursued  by  the  Government  towards 
General  McKinstry,  is  the  subject  of  frequent  comment  and  severe  criticism, 
here  and  elsewhere.  I  deem  it  due  to  your  Administration  and  to  yourself,  that 
you  should  be  informed  of  the  facts  'I  have  stated. 

If  there  has  been  abuse  of  authority  practiced  in  this  matter,  I  am  confident 
that  you,  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  will  apply  the  proper  corrective, 
and  that  you  will  not  allow  the  imprisonment  of  an  officer  to  assume  the  form  of 
punishment  before  conviction. 

The  friends  of  General  McKinstry  are  ready  (if  the  Government  will  allow  it 
to  be  done)  to  give  bonds  for  his  appearance  to  answer  before  any  court  or 
tribunal,  civil  or  military,  in  any  sum  that  may  be  required.  Why  may  not  this 
be  done  ? 

I  respectfully  solicit  your  attention  to  the  matter  of  this  communication,  and 
remain. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  M.  KRUM. 

[No.  14.] 

MONDAY,  Dec.  23,  1861. 
GENTLEMEN  : 

I  have  been  informed  by  your  Secretary  that  you  contemplate  taking  a  recess 
of  a  week  or  more.  As  counsel  for  General  McKinstry  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  call 
your  especial  attention,  before  you  separate,  to  his  papers,  pertaining  to  him  as 
late  Quartermaster  of  the  Western  Department.  I  cannot  speak  of  my  own 
knowledge,  (for  I  have  only  glanced  over  a  portion  of  the  papers,)  but  General 
McKinstry  informs  me  that  there  are  among  his  papers  a  great  number  of 
receipts,  vouchers,  and  other  written  evidence  of  disbursements  of  public  moneys 
made  by  him  while  acting  as  Quartermaster,  involving  very  large  sums— possibly 


55 

a  million  of  dollars  in  the  aggregate.  Those  receipts  and  vouchers  are  essential 
to  him  in  rendering  his  account  to  the  proper  Department  of  the  Government, 
and  their  loss  would  involve  him  and  his  securities  in  great  difficulty.  Valuable 
papers  of  the  kind  referred  to  ought  not  to  be  subjected  to  the  handling  of  indif- 
ferent parties  in  the  absence  of  their  proper  owner  or  custodian.  As  practical 
business  men  you  cannot  shut  your  eyes  to  the  danger  of  loss  and  inconvenience 
to  which  General  McKinstry  is  exposed.  The  seizure  of  his  books  and  papers 
has  prevented  him  from  rendering  his  accounts  to  the  proper  Department  at 
Washington;  and  notwithstanding  this  and  the  imprisonment  of  himself  he  has 
been  ordered  to  render  his  accounts,  with  the  proper  vouchers,  &c.  In  view  of 
these  facts,  I  respectfully  but  most  earnestly  request  that  you  will  restore  to  the 
custody  of  General  McKinstry  all  papers  that  have  a  pecuniary  value  to  him,  and 
all  others  that  you  do'  not  need  in  the  course  of  your  investigations.  General 
McKinstry  has  never  denied  access  to  his  official  papers,  or  any  information  in 
his  power  to  give,  touching  his  official  transactions ;  and  I  am  authorized  to  say 
that  his  books  and  papers  may  be  examined  at  any  time,  by  any  one  representing 
the  Government.  There  is  nothing  touching  the  official  conduct  of  General  Mc- 
Kinstry that  he  wishes  to  withhold  or  conceal ;  and,  while  he  scorns  the  vile  con- 
spirators who  have  attempted  to  defame  and  ruin  him,  he  does  not  believe  that 
the  Government  which  he  has  served  so  long  and  so  faithfully  will  lend  itself  to 
their  machinations. 
Hoping  to  receive  a  favorable  response  to  my  request,  I  remain, 

Very  respectfully, 
To  Messrs.  HOLT,  DAVIS,  CAMPBELL.  JOHN  M.  KRUM. 


[No.  15.] 

ST.  Louis,  December  23,  18G1. 
Hon.  JOHN  M.  KRFM: 

DEAR  SIR  —  Your  note  of  this  day  is  just  received.  We  did  not  order  the 
seizure  of  General  McKinstry's  papers.  The  Government  did.  It  is  for  the  Gov- 
ernment to  decide  on  all  questions  growing-  out  of  their  seizure. 

Mr.  Glover  is  the  counsel  of  the  Government  for  our  Commission.  Whether 
he  has  authority  to  do  what  you  desire,  you  can  readily  ascertain  by  application 
to  him.  We  respectfully  refer  you  to  Mr.  Glover. 

Yours,  most  truly, 

DAVID  DAVIS, 
HUGH  CAMPBELL. 

[Memorandum  by  John  M.  Krum.] 

On  the  18th  Dec.,  Mr.  Glover  notified  me  that  he  was  ready  to  open  the  books 
and  papers  of  Gen.  McKinstry.  I  went  with  him  to  the  room  where  they  were, 
but  we  could  not  get  in.  The  next  day  the  room  was  opened  by  the  Provost 
Marshal  and  Mr.  Glover.  Mr.  Hopkins  and  myself  worked  at  the  papers  about 
three  hours.  The  next  day  Mr.  Hopkins  and  Mr.  Widgery  worked  an  hour  or 
two,  when  Mr.  Hopkins  was  called  away  to  attend  the  Commissioners  of  Claims, 
and  nothing  further  was  done  in  regard  to  the  books  and  papers  until  after  the 
following  correspondence  between  Mr.  Glover  and  myself. 


56 
[No.  16.] 


ST.  Louis,  December  24,  1861. 
Hon.  JOHN  M.  KRUM  : 

SIR  — I  have  been  requested  by  the  honorable  Commissioners  for  Investiga- 
tion of  Claims  originating  against  the  Western  Department,  prior  to  October  14, 
1861,  to  make  an  examination  of  the  books  and  papers  of  General  McKinstry, 
late  Quartermaster  of  this  place.  The  labors  of  the  Commission,  which  closed 
temporarily  yesterday,  have  been  such  as  to  prevent  me  from  entering  upon  that 
duty,  fully,  till  this  morning.  I  am  now  ready  to  go  with  you  and  look  into  the 
papers,  in  your  presence,  as  was  proposed,  and  partially  begun,  some  days  since ; 
or,  if  not  convenient  to  do  so  now,  I  will  attend  you  at  your  convenience. 
Hoping  you  will  name  an  early  day, 

I  remain,  very  respectfully, 

S.  T.  GLOVER. 


[No.  17.] 

ST.  Louis,  Dec.  24th,  1861. 
S.  T.  GLOVER,  ESQ.,  Attorney  for  the  United  States. 

SIR:     • 

I  have  your  note  of  this  morning,  requesting  me  to  be  present  at  the  exam- 
ination of  the  books  and  papers  of  Gen.  McKinstry,  late  Quartermaster  of  the 
Western  Department. 

When  I  consented  a  few  weeks  ago  to  be  present  at  the  examination  of  those 
books  and  papers,  I  supposed  that  some  account  of  them  had  been  taken  when 
they  were  seized,  and  that  they  were  under  the  control  of  the  Commissioners, 
Messrs.  Holt,  Davis  and  Campbell,  and  that  such  papers  as  were  not  needed  to 
assist  them  in  their  investigations  would  be  restored  to  Gen.  McKinstry. 

On  the  19th  inst.,  when  the  room  was  opened,  I  learned  from  Gen.  Curtis  and 
the  officer  who  executed  his  order  for  the  seizure  of  the  books  and  papers,  that 
no  account  of  them  whatever  had  been  taken,  and  they  do  not  profess  to  know 
what  they  seized.  And  on  yesterday  the  Commissioners  informed  me  that  they 
had  no  control  whatever  of  those  books  and  papers  ;  and  you  stated  to  me  ver- 
bally that  you  had  none,  except  that  you  considered  that  you  were  authorized  by 
the  Government  to  examine  them,  and  to  retain  such  as  you  might  deem  neces- 
sary for  the  purposes  for  which  you  were  employed,  &c. 

Finding  such  to  be  the  condition  of  things,  and  no  one  [appearing  to  be  in 
charge  of  the  books  and  papers  that  were  seized,  responsible  for  their  safe  keep- 
ing or  restoration,  I  hesitated,  when  I  received  your  note,  as  to  the  propriety  of 
my  having  anything  to  do  with  the  proposed  examination.  On  further  reflection 
I  have  now  to  state  that  I  am  willing  to  be  present,  provided  a  schedule  or  list 
be  made  of  the  books  and  papers  we  examine. 

And  for  this  purpose  I  will  meet  you  at  the  room,  with  a  competent  clerk  (Mr. 
Widgery)  to  assist,  at  nine  o'clock,  Thursday  morning,  26th  inst. 

Respectfully, 

JOHN  M.  KRUM. 


57 

[No.  18.] 

ST.  Louis  ARSENAL,  January  2d,  1862. 
SIR: 

On  the  13th  November  last  I  was  ordered  under  arrest,  and  have  ever  since 
been  held  in  confinement  at  this  post. 

Immediately  after  my  arrest  I  addressed  a  respectful  communication  to  the 
Adjutant  General,  asking  that  I  might  be  informed  of  the  accusations  against 
me,  and  that  I  might  have  the  benefit  of  a  trial  by  court  martial.  More  than  six 
weeks  have  elapsed  since  I  addressed  that  communication  to  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral, yet  I  have  not,  up  to  this  time,  been  informed  of  the  accusations  or  grounds 
upon  which  the  order  for  my  arrest  was  made. 

Very  recently  it  has  come  to  mv  knowledge  that  a  committee  of  Congress,  gen- 
erally known  as  the  (i Investigating  Committee,"  of  which  H.  C.  Van  Wyck  is 
chairman,  made  a  report,  in  which  serious  imputations  are  cast  upon  my  conduct 
while  acting  as  Quartermaster  of  the  Department  of  the  West ;  and  said  com- 
mittee accuse  me,  in  varied  forms,  of  malversation  in  office  while  discharging  the 
duties  of  such  Quartermaster. 

I  now  respectfully  ask  that  a  court  of  inquiry  may  be  ordered  to  examine  into 
the  imputations  and  accusations  of  said  committee  against  me ;  and  further,  (if 
it  shall  be  deemed  for  the  interest  of  the  public  service,)  to  examine  and  inquire 
generally  into  my  conduct,  and  the  manner  in  which  I  discharged  the  duties  of 
Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis. 

I  am,  respectfully, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 
Brig.  Gen.  and  Q.  M. 

To  Brig.  Gen.  L.  THOMAS,  Adft.  Gen.  U.  S.  A. 


[No.  19.] 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  January  9th,  1862. 
To  THE  PRESIDENT  : 

On  the  9th  of  December  I  addressed  a  letter  to  you  on  the 
subject  of  General  McKinstry's  arrest  and  imprisonment.  That  my  letter  re- 
ceived proper  attention  I  have  assurance  from  Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson.  Since 
then,  a  committee  of  Congress  has  made  a  report  by  which  imputations  and  as- 
persions, of  the  most  serious  character,  have  been  cast  upon  the  honor  and  char- 
acter of  General  McKinstry. 

As  soon  as  the  report  referred  to  came  to  his  knowledge,  he  addressed  a  com- 
munication to  the  Adjutant  General,  asking  for  a  court  of  inquiry.  A  copy  of 
his  letter  is  enclosed  herewith. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  Gen.  McKinstry 
are  so  very  unusual  and  altogether  without  precedent  in  the  history  of  military 
or  civil  affairs,  that  I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for  addressing  you  directly,  as 
the  head  of  the  army  and  the  nation,  again  on  the  subject. 

A  great  wrong  has  been  done  General  McKinstry,  and  if  the  military  author- 
ities were  either  misled  or  imposed  upon  when  orders  were  issued  against  Gen- 
eral McKinstry,  it  now  devolves  upon  the  same  authorities  to  make  the  only  rep- 
aration in  their  power  by  giving  the  accused  an  opportunity  to  vindicate  his  con- 
duct and  character  before  a  court  of  inquiry. 


58 

As  a  matter  of  simple  justice  I  ask  of  you  to  see  that  this  is  done.  I  also  ask 
that  the  limits  of  arrest  of  General  McKinstry  may  be  extended  to  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  for  the  following  reasons  : 

First — No  charges  have  been  made  against  him,  and  it  is  therefore  fair  to  pre- 
sume that  he  is  not  held  in  his  present  confined  limits  for  any  alleged  offence. 

Second — The  Government,  by  holding  General  McKinstry  in  his  present  limits 
at  the  Arsenal,  and  withholding  his  books  and  papers,  prevents  him  from  ren- 
dering his  accounts  as  Quartermaster. 

I  speak  of  what  I  know,  and  earnestly  appeal  to  you  to  see  that  even-handed 
justice  be  meted  out  to  an  injured  man  and  officer. 

I  am,  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  M.  KRUM. 

[No.  20.] 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,         > 
ST.  Louis,  July  29,  1861.  S 
SIR  : 

The  Commanding  General  directs  that  you  be  prepared  to  supply,  with  the 
least  possible  delay,  clothing  and  camp  and  garrison  equipage  for  twenty-three 
regiments  of  Infantry,  three  regiments  of  Cavalry,  and  one  regiment  of  Artil- 
lery. It  is  the  wish  of  the  General  to  have  these  supplies  at  command  during  the 
next  fortnight,  and  he  directs  that  you  ascertain  by  telegraph  what  can  be  ob- 
tained from  the  East,  the  balance  you  will  have  made. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  C.  KELTON, 
Major  J.  MCKINSTRY,  A,  Q.  M.  Ass't.  Adft.  Gen'l. 

[No.  21.] 

HEADQUARTERS,  ST.  Louis,  July  29.  1861. 
Major  J.  MCKINSTRY,  Q.  M.  V.  S.  A. 

I  am  directed  by  General  Fre'mont  to  say  that  he  wishes  you  to  purchase  Cav- 
alry equipments  up  to  five  hundred,  if  that  number  can  be  had,  to-morrow.  If 
not  the  full  amount  of  five  hundred,  then  all  that  can  be  had. 

Respectfully  yours, 

I.  C.  WOODS. 

[No.  22.] 

By  Telegraph  from 

FORT  MADISON,  August  6,  1861. 
J.  MCKINSTRY,  A.  Q.  M. 

Your  dispatch  found  me  in  Missouri.  This  noon,  sharp  skirmish  at  Athens  ; 
three  Union  killed,  eleven  wounded ;  six  rebels  found  dead,  nine  wounded  on  the 
ground.  Colonel  Moore  commanding  Union ;  Colonel  Green,  rebels.  Rebels  thor- 
oughly routed  ;  particulars  by  mail.  Fifth  and  Sixth  Regiments  have  blankets, 
cartridge  boxes,  cap-pouches,  belts  and  gun  slings.  No  guns,  knapsacks,  haver- 
sacks, canteens,  tents  or  good  clothing.  Can  and  will  you  furnish  them  at  St. 
Louis  ?  When  and  how  shall  I  move  ?  The  Fifth  is  ready  at  one  hour's  notice, 
as  above  conditioned.  W.  H.  WORTHINGTON, 

Colonel  5th  I.  V. 


59 

[No.  23.] 

^  .  HEADQUARTERS,  ST.  Louis,  August  6,  1861. 

Major  J.  MCKINSTRY,  Q.  M.  U.  S.  A. 

Can  you  procure  in  town,  two  hundred  uniforms,  complete,  for  companies 
A  and  B,  pioneers,  now  on  board  Empress  ?  If  so,  equip  them  to-day.  Grey  or 
blue  shirts  and  pantaloons  preferable ;  socks,  shoes  and  felt  hats. 

Did  you  order  the  five  thousand  felt  hats  in  New  York,  now  there  for  me  ? 
Respectfully,  J.  C.  FREMONT, 

Maj.  Gen.  Commanding. 

[No.  24.] 
HEADQUARTERS,  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,         ) 

August  20,  1861.  $ 
Major  J.  MCKINSTRY,  Q.  M.  U.  S.  A. 

The  accompanying  requisition  is  for  the  clothing  of  a  regiment  of  Home 
Guards,  at  Jefferson  City.  The  Colonel  (McClung)  is  represented  by  Captain 
Murphy,  who  takes  this  note.  There  is  also  a  regiment  of  Home  Guards  atRolla, 
the  requisition  for  which  is  lying  on  my  table,  to  go  presently  to  you ;  and  also, 
for  a  battalion  at  Clark  count}',  and  a  battalion  somewhere  else,  and  a  large  re- 
quisition for  Ironton,  which  Captain  Turnley  made  out  yesterday,  making,  in  all, 
clothing  for  some  six  thousand  men,  which  the  General  desires  you  to  have  pur- 
chased in  the  city,  and  made  ready  to  forward  at  once,  under  charge  of  officers, 
to  be  turned  over  and  distributed  at  the  points  of  destination.  Will  send  the 

other  requisitions  shortly. 

Respectfully,  I.  C.  WOODS, 

Secretary. 

[No.  25.] 
HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT, 

August  21,  1861. 
To  Major  J.  McKiNSTRY,  Q.  M.  U.  S.  A. 

The  General  Commanding  consents  that  you  order  the  1,000  grey  pantaloons, 
1,000  jackets,  of  which  Lieutenant  McGibbon  has  this  day  brought  and  shown  a 
sample  at  Headquarters,  if  the  prices  are  not  more  than  you  are  paying  for 
same  quality  of  material. 

Respectfully,  J.  C.  WOODS, 

Secretary. 

[No.  26.] 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,         ) 
ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  August  27,  1861.  $ 
SIR: 

The  Commanding  General  directs  that  you  purchase  and  furnish  for  the  se- 
cond Kansas  regiment,  500  pants,  500  jackets,  125  common  tents,  and  30  wall 
tents.  Vel7  respectfully. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  C.  KELTON, 

Asst.  Adj.  Gen. 
Major  J.  MCKINSTRY,  A.  Q.  M.,  St.  Louis. 


60 

[No.  27.] 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,         ) 
September  4,  1861.      $ 
GENERAL : 

The  movement  of  troops  here  is  already  beginning  to  be  embarrassed  by  the 
scanty  means  for  transportation,  and  in  reference  to  future  operations  it  is  clear 
that  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost  in  making  immediate  preparation.  I,  therefore, 
desire  you  to  contract,  with  the  least  possible  delay,  for  not  less  than  one  thou- 
sand wagons,  to  be  required  so  soon  as  the  plans  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  war 
shape  themselves  more  definitely. 

I  prefer,  for  this  Department,  the  lighter  built  Concord  fashioned  wagon  to 
the  heavy  Pennsylvania  style  of  wagon  generally  used  in  the  East.  Mules  for 
the  above  should,  at  some  time,  be  provided. 

J.  C.  FREMONT, 

Maj.  Gen.  Commanding. 
Brig.  Gen.  McKiNSTRY,   Quartermaster,  frc. 


[No.  28.] 

ASSISTANT  QUARTERMASTER  GENERAL'S  OFFICE,          ) 
WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,  ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  Sept.  16,  1861.      ) 
[Confidential.] 
CAPTAIN  : 

Transportation  is  required  at  Jefferson  City  sufficient  to  move  fifteen  thou- 
sand men.  You  will  take  immediate  steps  to  find  out  what  amount  of  transpor- 
tation can  be  procured  at  Jefferson  City,  and  also  what  amount  can  be  sent 
from  this  city.  Use  the  telegraph  and  whatever  other  means  you  can  to  expedite 
the  matter.  Transportation  will  also  be  required  for  moving  ten  thousand  men 
from  Holla. 

These  matters  must  be  attended  to  promptly.    Make  your  report  to  me  with  as 
little  delay  as  practicable. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKiNSTRY, 

Brig.  Gen.  and  Q.  M. 
Captain  BRADSHAW, 

A.  Q.  M.,  U.  S.  A.,  St.  Louis. 


[No.  29.] 

By  Telegraph  from 
CINCINNATI,  August  5,  1861. 
Maj.  MCKINSTRY,  A.  Q.  M. 

I  have  no  tents  except  what  I   am  having  made.     I  will  have  twenty  regi- 
ments to  supply  in  the  next  two  weeks,  and  can't  spare  what  you  want. 

JNO.  H.  DICKENSON, 

Captain  and  A.  Q.  M. 


61 

[No.  30.] 

By  Telegraph  from 
CHICAGO,  August  6. 1861. 
Maj.  MCKINSTRY,  A.  Q.  M. 

Dispatch  received.  I  sent  you  one  hundred  (100)  tents  to-day.  There 
are  no  more  here  entirely  ready.  May  be  one  hundred  (100)  more  ready  to- 
morrow. 

P.  T.  TURNLEY. 

[No.  31.] 
Major  MCKINSTRY  : 

DEAR  MAJOR— If  you  buy  any  more  horses,  I  wish  you  to  give  Jim  Neal  a 
fair  chance.  He  is  a  personal  friend  of  mine,  and  a  sound  Union  man.  By  em- 
ploying Neal  you  will  confer  a  great  favor. 

(Signed)  FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR., 

Col.  1st  Reg.  M.  V. 

[No.  32.] 
DEAR  MAJOR  : 

John  H.  Bowen  is,  and  has  been,  all  right,  and  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  can  do 
him  a  favor  consistently  with  the  public  interests.  I  mean  everything  I  say  in  this 
short  note.  Your  friend, 

FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR., 

Col.  1st  Reg.  M.  V. 
ST.  Louis  ARSENAL,  May  21,  1861. 


[No.  33.] 
Major  MCKINSTRY  : 

I  wish  you  would  buy  wagons  from  Espenscheid  &  Kearn,  German  wagon-ma- 
kers. They  are  Union  men.  Murphy  &  Verdin  are  both  secessionists.  I  wish 
you  would  not  buy  from  them;  it  is  injurious  to  you  and  to  the  cause. 

Yours, 

FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR. 

ST.  Louis  ARSENAL,  August  17,  1861. 


[No.  34.] 

Major  MCKINSTRY: 

DEAR  MAJOR — I  shall  be  much  obliged  to  you  if  you  can  give  Mr.  Aleck  Peter- 
son a  contract  for  buying  horses.    He  is  a  good  friend  of  mine,  a  firm  Union  man, 

and  I  should  be  glad  to  serve  him. 

Yours, 

FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR. 

TUESDAY,  August  27,  1861. 


[No.  35.] 

ST.  Louis,  September  6,  1861. 
General  MCKINSTRY,  Qr.  Mr. 

GENERAL — This  will  introduce  Colonel  Bogy,  of  Ste.  Genevieve,  a  good  Un- 
ion man,  who  finds  himself  surrounded  by  unpleasant  circumstances  at  home. 
The  Colonel  is  desirous  of  obtaining  a  contract  for  the  purchase  of  horses.  If 
you  can  aid  his  wishes  you  will  confer  a  favor  on  me.  The  Colonel  is  a  member 
of  the  Convention.  His  business  has  been  entirely  destroyed,  and  it  would  be 
laying  a  special  obligation  on  me  to  give  him  a  contract. 

Respectfullv, 

FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR. 

[No.  36.] 
General  McKiNSTRY : 

GENERAL — Mr.  B.  Gishard  is  the  party  of  whom  I  spoke  to  you,  and  of  whom 
I  sent  you  a  message  by  Charley  Elleard.  He  wants  to  furnish  some  horses  to 
the  Government.  See  that  he  is  attended  to. 

Yours,  &c., 

FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR. 

SEPTEMBER  11,  1861. 


[No.  37.] 

L 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  29,  1861. 


OFFICE  OF  ASSISTANT  TREASURER,  U.  S.         > 

L.) 


DEAR  JUDGE  : 

Our  friends  here  are  complaining,  and,  I  believe,  not  without  reason,  that 
the  Government  patronage  at  this  point  is  all  thrown  into  the  hands  of,  and  for 
the  benefit  of,  our  enemies,  the  secessionists.  No  one  doubts  that  our  friends 
among  the  mercantile  community,  can,  and  will,  sell  to  the  Government  all  man- 
ner of  goods  on  terms  as  favorable  to  the  Government  as  any  traitor,  yet  it  seems 
that  the  disbursing  officers  hereabouts  have  a  most  decided  preference  for  patron- 
izing our  enemies.  This  thing  should  not  be  permitted.  I  am  anxious  to  see 
the  Government  administered  on  the  most  economic  plan ;  but,  to  gain  that  ob- 
ject, is  it  necessary  that  our  friends  should  be  excluded,  and  traitors  employed 
to  subsist  the  army,  and  fatten  on  its  profits  ?  Yes,  and  probably  subscribe  some 
of  those  very  profits  to  Jeff.  Davis'  army. 

The  Government,  purchases  must  always  be  to  the  advantage  of  somebody,  and 
friends  rather  than  enemies  should  be  preferred. 

Major  McKinstry,  the  Acting  Quartermaster  at  this  place,  should  have  a  leave 
of  absence,  or  some  other  leave. 

Captain  Kelton,  who  acts  here  as  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  successor  to 
Major  Waggaman,  who  introduced  him  on  resigning,  is  known  only  to  our  ene- 
mies, on  whom  he  is  said  to  shower  patronage,  and  for  details  I  refer  you  to  an 
article  in  Democrat  of  to-day.  I  learn  that  Saml.  Simmons  is  an  applicant  for 
that  post,  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Major  Waggaman,  and  I  regard  it 
as  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  that  he  should  be  appointed,  and  that  it  be 
done  immediately. 


63 

Can't  you  have  Gen.  Harney  sent  away  from  here  ?  If  he  remains  here  much 
longer  we  shall  be  compelled  a  second  time  to  conquer  a  peace  in  Missouri. 
Can't  a  division  of  the  army  be  made  for  him,  embracing  Utah  and  the  Indians  ? 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  BEN.  FARRAR. 

Hon.  M.  BLAIR,  P.  M.  G.,  Washington. 


[No.  38.] 

ST.  Louis,  July  15,  1861. 
DEAR  FRANK  : 

I  write  you  now  in  behalf  of  my  brother  John,  to  get  you  to  help  him  in  get- 
ting a  contract  for  furnishing  the  army  with  horses.  He  is  about  busted  up  finan- 
cially, and  is  very  much  in  need  of  something  of  the  kind  to  help  him  through. 

Some  of  our  friends  here  have  had  contracts  and  done  pretty  well.  A  word 
or  two  from  you,  in  a  way  that  you  well  know  how  to  put,  will  go  far  with  Mc- 
Kinstry  towards  putting  him  in  favor,  and  enable  him  to  get  some  or  a  portion  of 
the  contracts  for  mules  and  horses  about  to  be  offered.  It  is  the  more  necessary 
to  have  something  of  the  kind  from  you  to  McKinstry,  as  I  fear  he  is  prejudiced 
against  me  by  reason  of  my  letter  to  the  Judge,  which  fell  into  his  hands.  He 
may  be  inclined  to  discriminate  against  John.  I  do  wish  you  would  write  a  fevr 
lines  to  McKinstry  to  help  John  in  that  matter.  If  you  know  any  other  way  to 
help  him  to  a  contract,  by  orders  direct  from  the  Department  or  otherwise,  put 
him  on  it.  I  know  I  am  bothering  you  in  these  matters,  and  I  feel  so,  for  I  re- 
member my  own  obligations  to  you — yet  it  is  the  way  of  the  world.  Do  them 
a  favor  and  they  want  another. 

The  contracts  must  be  let  and  somebody  will  get  the  profits,  and  certainly  no 
one  deserves  more  than  John,  or  has  been  a  more  steadfast  friend  of  the  party. 
If  you  can  find  occasion  to  give  this  matter  some  attention  you  will  very  much 

oblige, 

Your  friend, 

BEN.  FARRAR. 

(Endorsement.} 
GEN.  MEIGS  :    If  you  want  horses  in  Missouri,  I  most  cordially  recommend  Mr. 

Farrar  to  purchase  them  for  you. 

FRANK  P.  BLAIR,  JR. 

(Endorsement.) 

Referred  to  Major  McKinstry,  A.  Q.  M.,  and  the  writer  so  informed. 

M.  C.  MEIGS, 
Quartermaster  General. 

[No.  39.] 

PLANTERS'  HOUSE,  September  17,  1861. 
Gen.  J.  McKiNSTRT : 

DEAR  SIR— I  have  just  received  a  telegraphic  dispatch  that  I  had  2 
at  Jefferson  City,  ready  for  inspection. 

I  would  be  much  obliged  to  you  if  you  would  give  me  an  order  to  your  mspec 
tors  authorizing  one  of  them  to  go  up,  by  to-morrow  morning's  train,  and  attend 
to  the  business.    If  I  had  the  order,  I  will  engage  to  see  the  inspector  to-night, 


64 

or  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  in  time  for  the  train.  Allow  me  to  suggest 
that  if  your  present  inspectors  are  so  engaged  that  their  services  are  needed  here, 
I  have  no  doubt  Mr.  Abrams,  the  white-bearded  gentleman,  who  has  been  in  your 
service,  would  go  up,  and  the  order  might  be  directed  to  him,  and  in  which  case 
I  will  see  him.  If  I  should  not  see  you  in  person,  I  will  call  again  at  your  resi- 
dence to-night,  when  I  can  get  the  order.  I  am  thus  explicit  because  I  desire  to 
meet  promptly  my  engagements  with  the  Government  through  Mr.  Haskell. 
I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  S.  ROLLINS. 


[No,  40.] 

JEFFERSON  CITY,  September  16,  1861. 
Major  Gen'l.  FREMONT  : 

DEAR  SIR — Col.  Jeff.  C.  Davis  informs  me  he  wants  a  large  number  of  mules 
and  horses  here.  I  can  buy  150  choice  mules  here,  and  save  the  trouble  and  ex- 
pense to  St.  Louis,  and  they  shall  not  cost  the  Government  more  than  they  are 
now  paying  for  choice  mules. 

Telegraph  me,  or  write  me,  immediately,  and  I  will  buy  them  and  deliver  them 
here  to  Col.  Davis  in  forty-eight  hours. 

Very  truly  yours, 

THOS.  L.  PRICE. 

I  spoke  to  General  McKinstry  in  St.  Louis,  and  he  promised  me  refusal  to  buy 
here. 


[No.  41.] 

(  Telegram.') 

JEFFERSON  CITY,  Sept.  16,  1861. 
Major  General  FREMONT  : 

Col.  Jeff.  C.  Davis  informs  me  he  wants  mules  and  horses  here.  I  can  buy 
150  choice  mules  here  immediately  if  you  will  give  me  authority,  and  they  shall 
not  cost  the  Government  more  than  they  are  paying. 

Give  me  contract  by  telegraph  immediately  and  I  will  secure  them.     Gen.  Mc- 
Kinstry referred  me  to  you. 

THOS.  L.  PRICE. 

[No.  42.] 

JEFFERSON  CITY,  Sept.  16th,  1861. 
General  MCK.INSTRY,  Quartermaster,  St.  Louis : 

DEAR  SIR — I  can  buy  you  150  choice  mules  in  48  hours  for  this  post,  and 
Col.  Davis  informs  me  he  wants  a  large  number  here,  immediately,  and  has  made 
his  requisition  for  them. 

If  you  will  write  me  or  telegraph  me  to  buy  them,  they  shall  not  cost  the  Gov- 
ernment more  than  you  are  paying  for  such  mules. 

You  remember  I  spoke  to  you  and  Gen.  Fre'mont,  and  you  promised  me  the 
refusal. 

Very  truly, 

THOS.  L.  PRICE. 


65 

[No.  44.] 

OFFICE  QUARTERMASTER  GENERAL,  Western  Department,  i 
ST.  Louis,  18th  September,  1861.      \ 
SIR: 

You  will  please  proceed  to  Jefferson  City,  by  morning  train  of  the  Pacific 
railroad,  to  inspect  a  collection  of  mules,  belonging  to  Major  James  S.  Rollins, 
and  to  be  furnished  the  United  States  Government  by  Mr.  L.  Haskell. 

J.  McKINSTRY, 
To  Mr.  BLAKELY.  A.  Qr.  Mr.  Gen'l. 


[No.  45.] 
STATE  OF  MICHIGAN,  ) 

y    (       n  rt 

Wayne  County,      j 

Samuel  P.  Brady,  of  Detroit,  in  said  county,  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  he 
is  a  forwarding  and  commission  merchant,  and  has  been  for  the  last  twelve 
years,  doing  business  in  said  city.  That,  prior  to  his  engaging  in  the  same,  he 
had  been  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  since  manhood  a  merchant,  some  of  the 
time  as  Sutler  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  at  various  posts.  That  from  this  fact,  and  the 
experience  thus  acquired  of  the  necessities  of  an  army,  and  the  goods  and  sup- 
plies requisite  for  military  service,  as  well  as  from  his  military  connections  in 
the  U.  S.  Army  and  extensive  acquaintance  with  its  officers  of  every  grade,  depo- 
nent has  been  regarded  by  others  as  having  knowledge  of  army  wants,  and  as  an 
expert  in  military  goods  and  supplies,  under  the  Army  Regulations  of  the  United 
States.  That  deponent  is  well  acquainted  with  General  Justus  McKinstry,  and 
has  been  ever  since  the  General's  boyhood,  when  he  knew  him  in  Detroit.  That 
he  has  seen  him  often  since  he  became  an  officer  of  the  army,  and  known  him 
well ;  and  that  deponent  has  ever  regarded  said  General  McKinstry  as  one  of  the 
highest  toned,  most  honorable  and  gallant  officers  in  the  service.  That  some 
time  last  summer,  about  the  time  of  General  McKinstry's  assumption  of  the 
Quartermaster  Generalship  at  St.  Louis,  deponent  received  a  request  from  him 
to  ascertain  and  advise  him  the  prices  of  certain  goods,  not  then  procurable  in 
the  market  of  St.  Louis,  which  were  wanted  in  his  Department.  That  General 
McKinstry  knew  deponent's  familiarity  with  such  matters,  not  only  for  the 
reasons  above  given,  but  by  reason  of  deponent's  extensive  experience  in  the 
purchase  and  furnishing  of  supplies  for  the  Lake  Superior  Mining  Companies,  as 
well  as  for  the  general  trade  of  that  country;  and  that  he  made  such  requests 
because  of  deponent's  knowledge,  and  because  he  believed  that  deponent  would 
act  faithfully  and  scrupulously  for  the  best  interests  of  the  U.  S.  Government 
in  any  matter  with  which  he  might  be  entrusted.  That  deponent,  in  compliance 
with  said  request,  availed  himself  of  a  wide  acquaintance  in  the  Eastern  cities 
to  procure,  from  time  to  time,  the  best  information  of  the  state  of  the  markets, 
and  communicated  the  same  to  General  McKinstry.  That,  at  that  gentleman's 
request,  deponent  went  to  St.  Louis,  to  aid  him  by  the  purchase  of  articles  not 
readily  obtained  in  the  St.  Louis  market. 

And  deponent  further  says,  that  he  engaged  in  the  purchase  for  Government 
of  certain  kinds  of  army  supplies,  with  which  he  was  familiar,  which  he  furnished 
for  a  moderate  profit,  no  greater  than  deponent  would  have  charged  in  any  other 
trade  with  individuals  or  corporations,  and  in  many  instances  at  a  lower  rate, 


66 

and  of  a  better  quality,  than  goods  of  similar  kinds  offered  by  resident  wholesale 
merchants  of  St.  Louis.  That  he  so  purchased  supplies,  not  as  agent  for  the 
Government,  or  for  General  McKinstry,  but  in  his  capacity  as  a  merchant.  That 
deponent  was,  if  possible,  more  scrupulously  careful  in  his  transactions  with 
General  McKinstry  on  account  of  their  friendly  personal  relations. 

And  deponent  further  says,  that  General  McKinstry  had  no  share  or  interest 
in  any  of  deponent's  transactions  with  the  U.  S.  Government,  (or  with  General 
McKinstry  for  the  Government,)  nor  in  any  of  the  profits  thereof;  and  that  Gen- 
eral McKinstry  had  no  understanding,  express  or  implied,  with  deponent, 
directly  or  indirectly,  whatever,  that  deponent  should  pay  to  or  divide  with  him, 
or  with  any  relative  of  his,  any  profit  or  interest  in  any  contract  or  transaction 
which  deponent  had  or  might  have  with  the  United  States,  or  its  Quarter- 
master General,  the  said  McKinstry.  And,  further,  that  no  sum  of  money,  arti- 
cle or  thing  was  ever  paid  or  given  to  said  General  McKinstry,  or  to  any  relative 
of  his  by  deponent,  or  any  agent,  relative  or  attorney  for  him,  on  account  of  any 
transaction  or  contract  in  General  McKinstry's  Department  between  him  (or  the 
United  States  through  him)  and  this  deponent. 

And  this  deponent  further  says,  that  in  his  opinion  no  other  man  paid  General 
McKinstry,  or  divided  with  him,  any  profit  in  any  contract  or  transaction  with 
the  Government  in  said  Department,  or  any  bonus  or  douceur  for  awarding  any 
Government  contract,  either  directly  or  indirectly ;  and,  further,  that  in  his 
opinion  no  man  who  knew  General  McKinstry  dare  approach  him  with  even  an 
intimation  that  he  would  like  to  suggest  such  a  thing  to  him. 

And  this  deponent  further  savs,  that  he  has  had  more  than  ordinary  opportu- 
nities for  observation  in  regard  to  the  management  of  the  office  of  Quartermas- 
ter, having  been  raised  in  a  garrison,  and  lived  in  direct  intercourse  with  the 
army  during  the  better  half  of  his  life.  That  deponent  therefore  feels  competent 
to  speak  on  the  subject,  and  that  he  can  and  does  say,  without  reserve  or  quali- 
fication, that  in  view  of  the  magnitude  of  the  business  necessary  to  be  done  in 
the  extraordinary  exigency  of  the  time,  the  service  could  not  have  been  better 
performed  by  any  human  being. 

That  nothing,  in  deponent's  opinion,  but  patriotism,  and  the  sternest  sense  of 
duty,  with  the  most  resolute  determination  to  do  it  fully,  could  have  borne  up 
General  McKinstry  in  his  ceaseless  devotion  to  the  stupendous  labors  of  his 
double  office  of  Quartermaster  General  and  Provost  Marshal,  by  day  and  by 
night,  under  the  most  peculiar  and  critical  circumstances. 

(Signed)  S.  P.  BRADY 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  this  9th  day  of  May,  1862,  at  Detroit,  in 
said  county. 

ALLEN  SHELDON, 
Notary  Public,  Wayne  County,  Michigan. 

The  undersigned  are  well  acquainted,  and  have  been  for  many  years,  with 
Samuel  P.  Brady,  whose  name  is  subscribed  to  the  foregoing  deposition,  and 
know  him  to  be  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  character  for  strict  integrity  and 
truth. 

(Signed,)  ROSS  WILKINS, 

Detroit,  May  9th,  1862.  LEWIS   CASS. 


67 

[No.  46.] 
STATE  OF  MISSOURI,         ") 

County  of  St.  Louis,  }  SS' 

Simon  Mandlebaum,  being  duly  sworn,  says :  During  the  summer  and  fall  of 
1861,  I  was  in  the  employ  of  S.  P.  Brady,  Esq.,  of  Detroit,  Michigan.  He  con- 
templated the  furnishing  of  goods  and  supplies  to  the  Government  at  St.  Louis, 
if  he  could  obtain  orders  from  the  Quartermaster.  With  this  view  he  requested 
me  to  visit  some  of  the  large  cities,  and  ascertain  the  market  prices  of  such  goods 
as  are  usually  purchased  by  Quartermasters  for  the  Government. 

I  complied  with  Mr.  Brady's  request  and  ascertained  the  market  prices  of  such 
goods.  Mr.  Brady  also  telegraphed,  in  some  instances,  to  his  acquaintances  East 
to  ascertain  the  market  prices  of  such  goods.  The  prices  or  values  thus  ob- 
tained were  furnished  by  Mr.  Brady  to  General  McKinstry,  and  in  most  instances 
that  Mr.  Brady  furnished  goods  to  the  Government  at  St.  Louis,  while  General 
McKinstry  was  acting  as  Quartermaster,  the  latter  knew  the  prices  of  the  goods 
at  the  time  they  were  furnished.  I  made  the  purchases  for  Mr.  Brady,  and  his 
instructions  to  me  were  to  buy  the  best  quality  of  goods,  which  I  invariably  did. 

I  further  state  that,  of  the  whole  quantity  of  goods  furnished  by  Mr.  Brady  to 
the  Government,  amounting  to  about  $260,000  in  the  aggregate,  only  about  one- 
half  of  the  whole  amount  was  furnished  under  the  administration  of  General 
McKinstry  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department  at  St.  Louis.  The  remainder  of 
the  goods  furnished  by  Mr.  Brady,  were  furnished  to  Quartermasters  Allen  and 
Rank  in. 

SIMON  MANDLEBAUM. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  1st  day  of      ay,  1862. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereto  set  my  hand  and  notarial  seal, 
this  day  and  year  last  above  written. 

(Signed,)  LEOPOLD  WOLFF, 

Notary  Public. 

[No.  48.] 

ST.  Louis,  August  19, 1861. 
Major  General  JOHN  C.  FREMONT, 

Commanding  Department  of  the  West : 

SIR — Referring  to  the  conversation  had  with  you  some  three  weeks  ago,  by 
one  of  the  undersigned,  (Mr.  Gurnee,)  in  relation  to  army  supplies,  and  to  what 
extent  such  supplies  could  be  furnished  at  Chicago,  with  the  promptitude  re- 
quired for  the  fitting  out  of  an  army,  we  have  to  say  that  Mr.  Gurnee,  having 
conferred  with  the  principal  manufacturers  of  Chicago,  returned  to  this  city  pre- 
pared to  give  satisfactory  answers.  But  learning  here  that  St.  Louis  claimed  a 
portion  of  the  work,  he  proposed  to  his  associate  in  their  communication  (Mr. 
John  How)  to  unite  in  this  proposition,  with  the  understanding  that  the  goods 
should,  as  far  as  practicable,  be  manufactured  in  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  and  in 
equal  proportions. 

They  now  make  out  and  submit  to  the  Commanding  General  the  following 

propositions  : 

First.     They  will  furnish,  and  deliver  at  any  depot  or  office  in  Chicago  or  St. 
Louis,  the  goods  manufactured  in  the  respective  cities,  as  follows  : 
5 


68 

20,000  coats  or  jackets , at  rate  of  1,500  per  week. 

20,000  pairs  pants "  "1,500  "  " 

20,000  drawers "  "   1,500  "  " 

40,000  flannel  shirts "  "  3,000  "  " 

70,000  pairs  socks "  "5,000  "  " 

15,000  overcoats "  "  1,000  "  " 

35,000  pairs  bootees  or  shoes,  for  Infantry "  "1,500  "  " 

5,000  Cavalry  boots "  "      400  "  " 

19,000  caps  or  felt  hats "  "2,000  "  " 

15,000  knapsacks "  "  2,000  "  " 

15,000  haversacks.. «  "  2,000  "  " 

15,000  canteens "  "2,000  "  " 

2,000  horse  equipments "  "      200  "  " 

All  the  supplies  furnished  shall  correspond  to  the  patterns  and  samples  now 
being  made  for  Government,  (unless  changed  by  your  order,)  and  the  price  to 
be  the  same  at  which  contracts  are  now  being  filled  in  the  principal  depots  of 
the  Quartermaster's  Department  for  the  United  States,  with  allowance  to  us 
when  superior  articles  are  required ;  and  deductions  if  inferior  are  delivered, 
we  to  be  notified  at  the  time,  if  deductions  are  claimed. 

We  will  commence  the  delivery  of  the  goods  within  twenty  days  after  the 
signing  of  the  contract,  and  will,  as  far  as  practicable,  increase  the  delivery  and 
even  the  amount  of  goods  when  required  by  your  Department. 

An  early  answer  is  respectfully  requested,  as  the  time  is  short  within  which 
to  supply  the  Army  of  the  West  and  have  them  prepared  for  the  coming  winter. 

JOHN  HOW, 
W.  S.  GURNEE. 
I  recommend  this  proposal  for  contract  to  Major  McKinstry. 

J.  C.  FREMONT, 
Maj.  Gen.  Commanding. 

[No.  49.] 

OFFICE  OF  QUARTERMASTER  TJ.  S.  A.  ) 
ST.  Loms,  Aug.  25,  1861.      \ 
Hon.  JOHN  How : 

SIR — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  at  your  hands  of  a  propo- 
sition, over  your  signature  and  that  of  W.  S.  Gurnee,  of  Chicago,  addressed  to 
Major  General  Fremont,  commanding  Western  Department,  offering  upon  certain 
terms  to  enter  into  a  contract  to  furnish  the  Quartermaster's  Department  with 
certain  articles  of  supplies,  pertaining  to  the  equipment  of  the  forces  now  being 
organized  in  this  city. 

The  Commanding  General  has  referred  your  proposition  to  me.  A  reference 
from  so  high  a  source  makes  it  an  imperative  duty  on  my  part  to  give  my  reasons 
in  detail  for  declining  your  proposition, 

They  are  as  follows  :  The  acceptance  of  your  proposition  would  involve  the 
expenditure  of  at  least  three  fourths  of  a  million  of  dollars — an  enormous 
amount  of  money  to  be  expended  for  a  public  object,  without  throwing  open  the 
door  to  public  competition.  The  business  community  just  now  is  in  that  state 
of  inactivity  where  it  anticipates  and  attempts  to  seize  hold  of  every  opportunity 


to  obtain  employment  for  both  muscle,  and  machinery  and  capital,  and  it  nat- 
urally turns  to  the  War  Department  of  the  Government  for  that  relief  which  it 
fails  to  find  among  civil  affairs.  This  being  the  case,  this  Department  will  be 
constantly  the  object  of  scrutiny  and  criticism,  by  those  most  interested  in  being 
made  aware  of  the  wants  of  the  Government;  and  the  expenditure  of  so  consid- 
erable a  sum,  without  public  competition,  even  if  perfectly  innocent  in  itself, 
(of  which  there  might  be  some  slight  question,)  would  provoke  unkind  and  bitter 
feelings,  slanderous  remarks  and  publications,  and  such  trouble  as  you  and  I 
have  both  witnessed  more  than  once  in  relation  to  Government  contracts. 

Neither  I,  nor  any  other  officer  of  the  Government,  be  his  position  'or  rank 
what  it  may,  has  strength  enough  to  stand  before  the  people  on  such  a  record, 
and  hope  to  escape  the  most  virulent  charges  of  fraud  and  corruption.  At  all 
events,  I  do  not  intend  to  try  the  experiment,  at  least  until  ordered  to  do  so  by 
the  Government,  whose  agent  I  am. 

Let  me  say,  sir,  in  conclusion,  that  of  course  nothing  contained  in  this  letter 
was  intended  as  any  reflection  or  criticism  upon  your  motives,  or  those  of  Mr. 
Gurnee,  in  making  the  proposition  referred  to,  and  to  add  that  I  am  as  ever, 
Very  respectfully,  yours,  &c., 

J.  McKINSTRY, 
Major  and  Quartermaster. 

[No.  50.]  v 

Memorandum  for  Major-  General  Fremont.     (By  J.  McKinstry,  A.  Q.  M.) 

The  Chief  Quartermaster,  after  careful  consideration  of  the  probable  wants 
of  the  large  army  now  being  organized  under  your  command,  would  respectfully 
recommend  that  he  be  ordered  to  enter  into  engagements  for  the  immediate 
supply  of  the  following  articles,  on  the  following  terms,  to  wit : 

The  parties  receiving  the  orders  to  repair  at  once  to  New  York,  and,  after  con- 
sultation with  the  officer  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department  in  charge  of  the 
clothing  depot  in  that  city,  and  receiving  from  him  samples  of  the  articles  re- 
quired, to  agree  to  furnish  a  sworn  list  of  the  prices  at  which  the  several  articles 
will  be  furnished,  giving  in  detail  the  cost  of  materials  and  workmanship,  the 
same  in  no  case  to  exceed  the  ruling  market  prices,  together  with  a  fair  mer- 
cantile profit  to  the  contractors.  The  list  or  lists  to  be  so  prepared  as  to  show 
distinctly  and  at  a  glance  the  several  items  separately,  of  the  cost  of  materials, 
the  cost  and  expenses  of  labor  and  workmanship  bestowed  upon  them,  and  the 
profit  to  be  realized  by  the  proposed  contractors. 

This  appears  to  the  Chief  Quartermaster  to  present  a  satisfactory  and  reason- 
ably sure  plan  for  securing  the  Government  against  imposition,  and  at  the  same 
time  providing  promptly  for  the  army  under  your  command.  Subjoined  will  be 
found  a  schedule  of  the  articles  required  : 

SCHEDULE. 

40,000  army  overcoats,  to  be  made  of  the  best  army  material,  and  in  every 
respect  to  conform  to  army  regulations  and  requirements. 

5,000  pairs  of  cavalry  boots,  on  the  same  terms  and  conditions. 

5,000  suits  of  infantry  uniforms,  on  the  same  terms  and  conditions. 

5,000  knapsacks,  army  pattern. 

5,000  canteens,  army  pattern. 
10,000  pairs  of  socks,  army  pattern. 
10,000  infantry  hats,  army  pattern. 
10,000  pairs  army  drawers. 
10,000  undershirts,  army  pattern. 
10,000  pairs  army  shoes. 


70 

[No.  50J.] 
ASSIST.  QR.  MR.  GEN'S.  OFFICE,  Western  Department, 

ST.  Louis,  September  19,  1861. 
Messrs.  CORBETT  &  KUHN,  St.  Louis,  Mo. : 

What  will  you  furnish  the  Quartermaster's  Department  with  cavalry  equip- 
ments for  ?  The  bid  to  be  for  complete  sets.  Please  answer  immediately,  and 
state  how  many  sets  you  have  on  hand. 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 

A.  Qr.  Mr.  Gen. 
H.  W.  G.  CLEMENTS,  Chief  Clerk. 


•    [No.  51.] 

A.  A.  QR.  MR.  GEN'S.  OFFICE,  Western  Department^  } 
ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  September  25,  1861.      \ 
CAPTAIN  : 

I  have  received  your  communication  of  the  23d  instant,  in  reference  to  pants 
furnished  by  R.  Keiler  &  Co.  You  are  aware  that  it  was  not  my  wish  to  pur- 
chase this  clothing,  and  it  was  done  at  your  urgent  request  ;  that  your  regiment 
was  in  great  need  of  them.  I  will  thank  you  to  return,  per  first  opportunity,  the 
two  hundred  pairs  you  refer  to. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  McKINSTRY, 
Brig.  Gen.  and  Qr.  Master. 
Capt.  R.  M.  LITTLER,  2d  Iowa  Vols.,  (6  miles  below  Cairo,)  Cairo. 


[No.  52.] 

This  agreement,  made  and  entered  into,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  on  the  5th  day  of 
July,  1861,  between  Brevet  Major  J.  McKinstry,  Assistant  Quartermaster,  U.  S.  A., 
for  and  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  of  the  first  part,  and  John  H.  Bowen  and 
Asa  S.  Jones,  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  on  the  second  part,  witnesseth  : 

That  the  parties  of  the  second  part  agree  to  furnish  the  party  of  the  first  part 
one  hundred  and  seventy-six  (176)  cavalry  horses,  one  hundred  and  forty  (140) 
artillery  horses,  and  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  (425)  mules,  to  be  delivered 
at  either  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  or  Cairo,  111.  The  horses  to  be  guaranteed  as  sound 
and  free  from  all  defects  whatever,  and  to  be  at  least  fifteen  and  one  half  (15£) 
hands  high,  not  more  than  eight  or  less  than  four  years  old.  The  mules  to  be 
not  less  than  fourteen  (14)  hands  high,  and  ranging  in  age  from  four  to  more 
years,  and  to  be  guaranteed  as  sound  and  free  from  all  defects. 

And  the  party  of  the  first  part,  for  and  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  agrees 
to  pay,  or  cause  to  be  paid,  to  the  parties  of  the  second  part,  at  the  Quarter- 
master's Office,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  nineteen  (119) 
dollars  for  each  horse  and  mule,  which  shall  be  accepted  as  agreeing  with  the 
terms  of  this  contract. 

And  it  is  further  agreed  by  the  parties  of  the  second  part,  that  the  horses  and 
mules,  to  the  number  named  in  this  contract,  shall  be  delivered  within  eight 


71 

days  from  the  date  of  this  contract,  and  that  they  shall  enter  into  good  and 
sufficient  sureties  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  stipulations  before  men- 
tioned. 

It  is  expressly  agreed  that  no  member  of  Congress  shall  have  any  share  or  part 
in,  or  derive  any  benefit  arising  from  this  contract. 

Witness  our  hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year  before  written. 

(Signed  in  quadruplicate,)  J.  McKINSTRY, 

Brevet  Major,  A.  Q.  M. 
JOHN  H.  BOWEN, 

ASA  S.  JONES. 

Witnesses  : 

H.  W.  G.  CLEMENTS, 
R.  F.  WILLIAMS. 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  we,  John  H.  Bowen  and  Asa  S.  Jones, 
of  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  State  of  Missouri,  as  principals,  and  T.  P.  Wheeler  and 
F.  M.  Wood,  of  the  same  place,  as  sureties,  are  firmly  held  and  bound  unto  the 
United  States  in  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  good  and  lawful 
money,  to  be  paid  the  said  United  States,  and  for  the  full  payment  of  which  said 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  we  bind  ourselves,  our  heirs,  administrators  and 
assigns.  In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  seals  this  fifth 
day  of  July,  1861. 

The  condition  of  the  obligation  and  bond  is :  That  whereas  the  said  Bowen 
and  the  said  Jones  have  contracted  with  Major  J.  McKinstry,  for  and  in  behalf 
of  the  United  States,  to  furnish  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  or  Cairo,  111.,  to  the  United 
States,  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  cavalry  horses,  and  one  hundred  and  forty 
artillery  horses,  and  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  mules,  at  the  rate  of  one 
hundred  and  nineteen  dollars  each,  in  accordance  with  written  contract  ef  date 
of  fifth  of  July,  A.  D.  1861. 

Now,  if  said  contract  be  well  and  truly  performed  and  fulfilled,  then  this  bond 
and  obligation  to  be  void  and  of  no  force,  otherwise  of  full  effect. 

T.  P.  WHEELER, 
F.  M.  WOODS. 

ASA  S.  JONES, 

JNO.  H.  BOWEN. 


[No.  53.] 

James  Neill,  of  the  city  and  county  of  St.  Louis,  State  of  Missouri,  being 
duly  sworn,  on  oath  says,  that  from  about  the  fifth  day  of  August,  1861,  he  had 
various  contracts  with  the  Quartermaster  of  the  Western  Department,  General 
McKinstry,  to  furnish  horses  and  mules  to  the  Government ;  that  never,  at  any 
time,  or  in  any  manner  or  degree,  was  General  McKinstry  interested  in  said  con- 
tracts, or  in  the  profits  accruing  therefrom,  nor  did  he  receive,  or  expect,  or  de- 
sire to  receive,  any  reward,  profit,  or  benefit  of  any  kind  or  nature  by  reason  ol 
said  contract,  or  growing  out  of  the  same;  that  General  McKinstry  never  rece 
ed  any  reward,  profit,  or  benefit,  in  any  manner  or  form,  by  reason  of  awai 
this  affiant  any  contract  whatever,  nor  did  he  expect  so  to  do  ;  that  the  affiant'i 
acquaintance  with  General  McKinstry  was  made  through  the  Hon.  F.  P.  B  lir, 
Jr.,  who  gave  to  this  affiant  a  letter  to  General  McKinstry  endorsing  this  affiant's 


72 

loyalty  and  integrity  of  character.  That  from  that  date  the  affiant  commenced 
to  do  business  with  said  McKinstry,  and  not  before ;  that  all  affiant's  business 
transactions  with  said  McKinstry  have  been  conducted  fairly  and  honestly,  and 
always  on  the  part  of  said  McKinstry  with  an  eye  watchful  for  the  interest  of 
the  Government.  And  further,  this  affiant  says  that  the  mules  claimed  by  R. 
W.  Peay,  before  the  Van  Wyck  Investigating  Committee,  to  have  been  sold  by 
him  direct  to  General  McKinstry,  were  bought  by  me  of  said  Peay  to  fill  my  con- 
tract with  the  Government ;  and  of  this  said  McKinstry  had  no  knowledge  what- 
ever, except  after  this  affiant  had  purchased  said  mules  ;  said  McKinstry  stated 
to  said  Peay  that  this  affiant  had  a  contract  with  the  Government  for  mules. 

JAMES  B.  NEILL. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  a  Notary  Public,  this  17th  day  of  May, 
1862.  R.  W.  HAMILTON/ 


[No.  54.] 
STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 

County  of  St.  Louis.  )  55 

James  B.  Neill  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  he  never  acted  as  inspector  of 
horses  or  mules  for  the  Government,  and  was  never  appointed,  or  requested,  by 
General  McKinstry  to  act  as  inspector  of  horses  or  mules  for  the  Government. 

JAMES  B.  NEILL. 
Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  30th  day  of  May,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


[No.  55.] 

STATE  or  MISSOURI,  ) 

r  SS 
St.  Louis  County. ) 

Joseph  S.  Pease,  being  duly  sworn,  on  oath  says  :  I  have  examined  the  Re- 
port of  the  Congressional  Investigating  Committee,  of  which  the  Hon.  C.  H.  Van 
Wyck  is  chairman,  and  the  evidence  to  which  it  refers.  That  on  the  17th  day 
of  Octoberj  1861,  Robert  W.  Peay  did  not  hold  my  note,  for  a  balance  due  him 
by  me  on  a  former  transaction ;  that  I  was  not  indebted  to  him  in  the  sum  of 
twenty-five  hundred  dollars  for  a  balance  of  account  of  stock  furnished  to  me, 
or  in  any  other  sum  or  amount  at  that  date ;  and  that  the  said  Peay,  subsequent 
to  the  giving  of  his  testimony  before  the  Van  Wyck  Committee,  acknowledged 
he  was  mistaken  in  this  regard. 

And,  further,  this  affiant  says,  that,  as  to  the  sale  of  mules  directly  to  General 
McKinstry,  concerning  which  said  Peay  testified,  he  knows  nothing  whatever. 
The  connection  this  affiant  had  with  these  mules  was  simply  as  follows  :  James 
B.  Neill,  who  had  a  contract  to  furnish  the  Government  with  mules,  desired  this 
affiant  to  become  a  partner  with  him,  Neill,  this  affiant  furnishing  the  means, 
merely,  to  purchase  said  mules  ;  affiant  and  John  H.  Bowen,  being  his  partner, 
became  partners  of  said  Neill  on  the  terms  stated.  These  mules,  as  affiant  after- 
wards understood,  were  bought  of  Peay,  both  from  Neill  and  Peay ;  that  this 
affiant  never  passed  a  word  with  General  McKinstry  as  to  these  mules,  or  in  con- 
nection with  the  contract ;  nor  did  affiant  know  that  Peay  had  sold  these  mules 
to  Neill,  until  a  bill  was  presented  by  Peay  to  this  affiant  for  the  first  delivery  at 
one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  per  head.  Affiant  was  not  prepared  to  pay  for  all 


73 

of  them  at  once,  but  paid  Peay  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  on  account  of  said 
mules.  That  soon  after  this  affiant  received  the  Government  voucher  for  said 
mules,  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  in  all,  James  0.  Broadhead  came  to  affiant, 
as  affiant  subsequently  understood,  as  the  attorney  of  Peay,  to  collect  tho  bal- 
ance due  said  Peay,  and  requested  the  possession  of  the  voucher  ;  that  tho  only 
reason  this  affiant  hesitated  to  deliver  the  voucher  into  Broadhead's  hands,  as  he 
proposed,  in  order  that  the  money  might  be  obtained  upon  it,  was  that  this  affiant 
was  not  then  personally  acquainted  with  said  James  0.  Broadhead,  and  did  not 
know  anything  about  his  responsibility  ;  but  as  soon  as  this  affiant  learned  that 
he*  was  entirely  responsible,  he  cheerfully  deposited  said  voucher  with  said 
Broadhead,  in  order  that  the  money  might  be  collected  thereon.  That  this  affiant 
never  heard  it  intimated  by  Peay,  or  by  any  other  person,  that  Peay  supposed 
he  was  selling  said  mules  to  the  Government  direct,  until  the  sitting  of  the  Van 
Wyck  Committee  ;  on  the  other  hand,  this  affiant  supposed,  and  still  supposes, 
that  Neill  bought  these  mules  of  Peay  to  fill  his,  said  Neill's,  said  contract,  and 
this  affiant  paid  said  Peay,  under  this  supposition,  the  said  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  and  toother  parties  who  had  sold  to  Peay  two  hundred  and  forty  dol- 
lars ;  that  Peay  did  not  receive  said  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  from  this  affiant 
on  any  old  account,  or  from  this  affiant  as  agent  of  the  Government,  but  simply 
as  one  of  the  vendees  of  said  mules  ;  and,  in  transferring  the  business  to  Broad- 
head,  the  said  Peay  acknowledged  the  said  sums  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars 
and  of  two  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  to  be  just  credits  on  the  account.  And, 
further,  this  affiant  says  that  he  is  of  no  kin  whatever  of  General  McKinstry, 
either  in  blood  or  in  law  ;  that  he  was  interested  with  John  H.  Bowen  in  tho  first 
contract  awarded  in  the  Western  Department  on  public  bids  for  animals,  which 
contract  was  awarded  about  the  fourth  of  July,  1861  ;  that  General  McKinstry 
had  no  interest  in  the  five  thousand  dollars  for  which  Bowen  sold  his  interest  in 
said  contract,  and  received  no  part  of  same,  directly  or  indirectly,  nor  did  he 
hold  back,  or  have  anything  to  do  with  it,  to  the  knowledge,  information  or  be- 
lief of  this  affiant  5  that  the  testimony  of  Alexander  Kelsey  is  disposed  of  by 
himself  in  a  note  addressed  to  the  Missouri  Republican,  January  3d,  1862,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  true  copy,  viz.  : 

"EDITOR  REPUBLICAN—  On  reading  the  published  extracts  from  the  Van  Wyck 
Investigating  Committee,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  an  attempt  has  been  made 
to  charge  Mr.  Jos.  S.  Pease  with  having  obtained  money  from  the  Quartermaster 
at  St.  Louis  on  a  false  voucher.     The  Committee  predicate  their  charge  on  my 
testimony,  given  before  them  in  respect  to  my  transactions  with  Mr.  Pease. 
wish  now  to  state,  as  a  simple  matter  of  justice  to  Mr.  Pease,  that  this  charge  of 
the  Committee  has  no  foundation  whatever.     The  Committee  have  done  him  a 
great  wrong;  there  is  nothing  in  my  testimony  before  them  to  justify  them  in 
making  this  charge.     I  did  not  intend  in  anything  I  said  before  the  Committee 
to  cast  any  reflection  upon  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Pease,  at  the  time  I  signed  tl 
ceipt  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  mentioned  in  the  Report  of  the  Commi 
They  have  only  embodied  in  their  Report  a  garbled  statement  of  my  evidence, 
whereas  if  they  had  published  the  whole,  it  would  be  seen  that  my  evidence  en- 
tirely exonerated  Mr.  Pease  from  any  dishonest  or  dishonorable  condu 


(Signed,)  ALEX.  KELSEY. 

ST.  Louis,  December  31,  1861." 


74 

That  the  testimony  of  John  B.  Valle  was,  also,  incorrectly  reported,  in  proof 
of  which  this  affiant  inserts  herein  true  copies  of  cards  received  by  him,  from 
the  signers,  viz : 

"  I  have  examined  my  evidence,  as  published  by  the  Congressional  Investiga- 
ting Committee,  (page  879,)  respecting  a  sale  of  gunny  bags  to  J.  S.  Pease,  and 
find,  in  many  points,  it  is  not  correctly  reported. 

(Signed)  JOHN  B.  VALLE. 

ST.  Louis,  April  24,  1862." 

" I  am  salesman  for  the  house  of  John  B.  Valle  &  Co.  The  sale  of  gunny 
bags  to  Mr.  Jos.  S.  Pease  was  made  by  me  during  Mr.  Valle's  absence.  A  day 
or  two  after  the  sale,  after  some  explanation  by  Pease,  I  signed  the  voucher  for 
thirteen  hundred  dollars,  the  explanation  being  perfectly  satisfactory  to  me. 
Pease  never  made  any  threats  to  my  knowledge  ;  nothing  unpleasant  occurred  be- 
tween us  during  the  transaction.  I  sold  the  gunny  bags  at  twelve  cents  to  Pease, 
and  rendered  him  a  bill  for  them  at  that  price,  and  collected  the  amount  of  same, 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  in  several  instalments,  as  stated  in  the  ^videnco  of  Mr. 
Valle.  (Signed)  WILLIS  J.  POWELL. 

ST.  Louis,  April  24,  1862." 

And,  further,  this  affiant  says  that  the  testimony  given  by  Francis  H.  G.  Haf  ke- 
meyer,  as  to  his  receiving  seventy-nine  thousand  dollars  from  the  cashier  of 
General  McKinstry,  is  false  ;  that  the  said  Hafkemeyer  saw  the  said  cashier  pay 
to  this  affiant,  on  the  third  day  of  October,  1861,  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  in  one 
thousand  dollar  packages,  of  Missouri  money,  and  no  more  ;  that  the  assertion 
of  the  said  Hafkemeyer  as  to  the  agitation  of  this  affiant  is  also  false,  and  this 
affiant  believes  it  was  stated  for  the  vile  purpose  of  intimating  what  he  dared  not  de- 
clare in  words,  that  the  receiving  said  money  was  a  fraud  on  the  Government ; 
that  the  assertion  of  said  Hafkemeyer  that  General  McKinstry  had  left  the  city 
is  also  false.  On  the  same  day  the  said  cashier  made  a  further  payment  to  this 
affiant  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  still  leaving  the  Government  largely  indebted  to 
him  for  forage  and  other  supplies,  for  which  he  was  obliged  to  pay  cash,  and  for 
a  considerable  amount  of  which  the  Government  is  still  indebted  to  him.  Gen- 
eral McKinstry  was  in  his  office  on  the  day  of  the  said  payments,  and  they  were 
made  by  his  order ;  and,  further,  this  affiant  says  that  he  has  not  been  in  any 
transaction  connected  with  General  McKinstry,  nor  has  General  McKinstry  ever 
received  one  cent  of  his  profits  from  Government  contracts,  or  even  suggested 
such  a  thing,  nor  has  he  been  in  any  way  personally  benefited  by  this  affiant's 
contracts  with  the  Government,  in  any  possible  manner,  directly  or  indirectly, 
and  all  charges,  assertions,  or  intimations,  that  General  McKinstry  was  interest- 
ed or  benefited,  directly  or  indirectly,  in  any  way  or  manner,  by  this  affiant's 
transactions  with  the  Government,  are  wholly  false. 

And,  further,  this  affiant  says,  that  he  has  read  the  report  of  the  Commission  on 
War  Claims  at  St.  Louis,  of  which  the  Hon.  D.  Davis  is  chairman ;  that  the 
statement  therein  contained,  with  regard  to  this  affiant's  transactions  in  tents  is 
exaggerated  in  amount,  and  gives  a  false  coloring  to  his  motives  and  manner  of 
doing  the  business  ;  that  he  distributed  said  business  among  all  of  the  tent-ma- 
kers, seven  in  number,  and  received  commissions  from  four  of  them  only ;  that 
his  understanding  with  two  of  them  was  that  their  gross  prices  to  him  were  the 
same  as  though  they  had  sold  direct  to  the  Government,  and  the  commissions 


75 

allowed  by  the  other  two,  were  allowed  at  the  time  of  final  settlement,  without 
any  previous  agreement,  and  of  their  own  free  will ;  that  he  constantly  advanced 
money  on  said  tents  ;  that  the  payments  to  tent-makera,  in  vouchers  issued  for 
other  supplies  than  tents,  were  made  by  their  own  solicitation,  and  for  their  own 
accommodation,  their  necessities  not  permitting  them  to  wait  the  issue  of  vouch- 
ers for  tents  particularly  j  that  in  the  instance  of  his  having  purchased  one  hun- 
dred tents  at  twenty-two  dollars,  they  were  purchased  at  the  first  offer  of  the 
maker,  and  far  below  their  market  value  j  that  this  affiant  furnished  considera- 
ble numbers  of  tents  at  a  commission  of  two  per  cent.,  of  less  than  one  per  cent., 
and  without  commission  ;  that  in  several  cases  he  was  compelled  to  sell  vouchers, 
received  for  tents  and  other  supplies,  at  a  loss  ;  that  of  the  tents  furnished  bv 
him,  considerably  less  than  one-half  were  furnished  upon  orders  from  General 
McKinstry,  and  that,  although  permitted  to  prove  his  claims,  before  said  Com- 
mittee, he  was  not  permitted  to  hear  the  evidence  adverse  to  said  claims. 

JOS.  S.  PEASE. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  at  the  District  of  Missouri,  on  this  1st 
day  of  May,  A.  D.  1862.  JOHN  M.  KRUM, 

U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


[No.  56.] 

STATE  or  MISSOURI,    ) 
County  of   St.  Louis,  j  SS' 

Thomas  M.  Blakely,  of  lawful  age,  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  he  has  been 
in  the  employ  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  for  about  thirteen  years. 
I  have  been  thus  employed  in  the  Quartermaster's  department  as  wagon  master. 
A  large  portion  of  that  time  I  was  so  employed  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  was  or- 
dered, on  or  about  the  10th  day  of  July  last,  by  Captain  Van  Vleet,  to  report  for 
duty  to  Quartermaster  McKinstry,  at  St,  Louis,  and  I  came  to  St.  Louis  accord- 
ingly, and  have  been  in  the  Quartermaster's  employ  at  St.  Louis,  and  other 
points,  ever  since.  I  was  so  employed  at  St.  Louis  in  the  months  of  July,  Au- 
gust and  the  early  part  of  September,  of  the  year  1861,  and  inspected  horses 
and  mules  at  St.  Louis,  for  the  department,  during  the  months  last  mentioned. 
I  know  Robert  W.  Peay.  He  had  a  stock  stable  on  Broadway,  in  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  called  the  "  Mammoth  Stable,"  at  which  the  Government  kept  a  large 
number  of  animals,  and  I  generally  inspected  the  animals  at  that  stable. 

In  the  early  part  of  September,  the  place  of  inspection  of  animals  belonging  t« 
the  Government,  was  removed  up  to  Ashbrook's  stable— higher  up  on  Broadway, 
it  being  more  convenient  at  the  latter  place.    My  attention  has  been  called  to 
testimony  of  said  Robert  W.  Peay,  as  published  in  the  report  of  the  Van  Wyck 
investigating  committee,  on  pages  540,  541,  and  following,  wherein  said 
states,  in  substance,  that  he  sold  to  Major  McKinstry,  two  hundred  and  nmety-a 


making  any  OI*W*A  ^v.*~  ~~ a 

remember  of  inspecting  the  said  lot  of  mules ;  but  I  did  not  at  any  time  hear  c 
understand  that  Peay  waathe  owner  of  said  mules,  but,  on  the  contrary,  Jaj 
B.  Neill  claimed  the  said  mules,  and  that  he  had  sold  them  to  the  Government. 
I  was  present  at  the  door,  and  near  the  steps  of  Major  McKinstry's  office,  with 


76 

said  Peay  and  said  Neill  when  Major  McKinstry  directed  me  to  inspect  the  said 
mules,  at  the  mammoth  stable.  I  did  not  hear  any  bargain  between  Peay  and 
McKinstry ;  in  fact,  nothing  was  said,  by  any  one,  about  the  sale  or  price  of  the 
mules  I  was  ordered  to  inspect.  There  was  no  conversation  between  said  parties, 
except  that  Major  McKinstry  directed  me  to  inspect  a  lot  of  mules  at  the  mam- 
moth stables,  and  I  did  as  I  was  directed 

T.  M.  BLAKLEY. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  February,  1862,  at  St. 
Louis,  Missouri.  In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereto  set  my  hand  and  notarial  seal 
the  day  and  year  last  above  written. 

LEOPOLD  WOLFF, 
Notary  Public,  St.  Louis  County. 


[No.  57.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    >  s$ 
County  of  St.  Louis,  > 

John  Keller,  being  duly  sworn,  says  :  I  have  read  the  testimony  of  James 
Harkness,  as  the  same  appears  in  the  Report  of  the  Van  Wyck  Committee,  and  I 
state  that  all  and  every  part  of  the  testimony  of  said  Harkness,  that  relates  to 
me,  or  connects  me  with  the  transactions  he  mentions,  is  untrue — utterly  untrue 
in  every  particular.  I  never  inspected  the  animals  spoken  of  by  said  Harkness 
for  Flanagan  or  any  one  else.  I  further  state  that  I  was  not  present  at  all  at  the 
time  and  place  mentioned  by  said  Harkness;  nor  did  I  at  any  time  or  on  any  occa- 
sion say  that  awe  would  soon  drive  the  God  damned  Lincoln  horde  out  of  this 
State."  I  further  state  that  I  was  recommended  to  General  McKinstry,  as  qual- 
ified and  a  suitable  person  to  be  appointed  inspector,  by  John  J.  Roe,  merchant, 
and  Isaac  Rosenfeld,  cashier  State  Savings  Institution.  I  am  a  veterinary  sur- 
geon by  profession,  and  in  practice  in  St.  Louis.  In  all  cases,  when  I  inspected 
animals  for  the  Government,  I  made  return  of  my  inspection  under  oath. 

JOHN  KELLER,  V.  S. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  10th  day  of  June,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


[No.  58.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  >  gg 
County  cf  St.  Louis.  5 

F.  G.  Flanagan  being  duly  sworn,  says  :  I  have  read  the  testimony  of  James  Hark- 
ness, as  the  same  is  reported  by  the  Van  Wyck  Investigating  Committee,  p.  535,  where 
he  speaks  of  my  father's  buying  a  three  year  old  filly  for  $65,  &c.  His  statement  in 
regard  to  the  inspection  of  said  filly  by  Keller  is  untrue.  The  filly  in  question  was 
never  sold  to  the  Government,  and  never  was  inspected  by  D.  Keller.  The  whole  state- 
ment of  said  Harkness,  in  respect  to  said  filly  and  its  inspection  is  untrue. 

F.  G.  FLANAGAN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  13th  day  of  June,  1862.     In  witness  whereof 
I  have  hereto  set  my  hand  and  seal  the  day  and  year  last  aforesaid. 

LEO.  WOLFF, 

Notary  Public 


77 

[No.  69.J 

Gen.  J.  McKiNSTRY.  ST'  L°mS> 

DEAR  SIR  : 

I  learned  this  morning  that  you  would  shortly  need  a  large  number  of  camp  kettles 
and  mess  pans.  If  they  are  to  be  the  same  size  and  weight  as  those  now  made  for  the 
army,  which  are  of  the  best  quality  of  charcoal  sheet  iron,  No.  26  wire  guage,  I  will 
furnish  them  at  following  prices,  provided  the  order  is  given  for  say  2,000  camp'kettles 
and  5,000  mess  pans;  camp  kettles  at  42£c  each;  mess  pans  27$c  each. 
Respectfully  yours, 

GILES  F.  FILLEY. 

INo.  60.] 

ST.  Lours,  Sept.  19,  1861. 
Gen.  J,  MCKINSTRY,  A.  Q.  M.,   U.  S.  A. 
DEAR  SIR: 

I  propose  furnishing  camp  kettles  and  mess  pans  for  the  army  at  the  following 
prices : 

Thirteen  (13)  cents  per  pound  for  camp  kettles. 
Fifteen  and  one  half  (15±)  cents  per  pound  for  mess  pans. 
All  to  be  made  of  best  quality  of  charcoal  sheet  iron,  No.  26  wire  guage. 
Respectfully  yours, 

GEO.  W.  BELL. 
155  Main  street.  Box  3,212. 

[No.  61.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 
County  of  St.  Louis.  ) 

Charles  M.  Elleard  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  during  the  past  year  he  sold 
horses,  and  also  a  few  mules  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  at  St.  Louis, 
while  Major  J.  McKinstry  was  acting  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis.  In  making  my 
sales  to  the  Government  I  was  on  a  footing  with  others  who  sold  property  to  tho 
Government.  I  never,  to  my  knowledge,  had  any  favors  shown,  or  advantages 
given  me,  over  others,  by  Major  McKinstry.  He  dealt  with  me,  in  buying  my 
stock,  as  he  did  with  others,  and  no  partiality  was  shown  to  me  that  I  am  aware 
of.  Major  McKinstry  was  not  concerned  or  interested  with  me  in  any  of  my 
operations  with  the  Government,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  and  he  never  shared 
or  received,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  any  profits  I  realized  from  any  of  my 
sales  to  the  Government. 

This  affiant  further  states  that  Major  McKinstry  never,  to  my  knowledge, 
forced  or  obliged  any  one  to  sell  horses  to  me,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  believe 
that  he  ever  did  so.  This  affiant  further  states  that  he  has  no  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  a  Mr.  Lippincot,  who  has  been  spoken  of  as  having  been  forced  or 
obliged  by  Major  McKinstry  to  sell  horses  to  me,  and  I  have  no  recollection  of 
ever  having  seen  said  Lippincot,  nor  have  I  any  recollection  of  ever  having  heard 
of  him  until  I  heard  his  name  mentioned  in  the  connection  above. 

CHARLES  M.  ELLEARD. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  at  St.  Louis,  in  the  District  of  Missouri, 
this  26th  day  of  April,  1862.  JOHM  M.  KRUM, 

U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


78 

[No.  62.] 

Extract  from  a  letter  of  General  Fremont : 

WHEELING,  VA.,  March  30, 1862. 
GENERAL  : 

tf:******:*:*** 

*  #  *  *  *  *  I  was  not  aware  that  Mr.  Colfax  in- 

tended to  speak  to  my  case.  In  making  it  he  spoke  upon  such  information  as  the  pub- 
lished documents  and  other  sources  furnished  him  with.  I  am  sure  that  his  reference 
to  you  was  not  in  any  unfriendly  spirit.  You  were  charged  with  acts  which  you  did 
not  commit,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  me  responsible  for  them. 

The  ground  that  I  have  taken  is,  first,  that  our  acts  were,  not  only  undeserving  of 
censure,  but  were  intended  to  and  have  proved  eminently  right  and  useful  to  the  public 
service.  But  another  ground,  which  I  have  still  more  distinctly  taken,  is,  that  I  assume, 
in  the  fullest  manner,  the  entire  responsibility  for  the  contract. 

I  ordered  Beard  upon  it  before  the  contract  was  made,  leaving  it  to  be  completed 
afterwards.  I  ordered  money  to  be  paid  him  in  advance,  as  he  required  it.  When 
afterwards,  he  brought  his  contract  to  me,  I  directed  him  to  you.  You  came  to  me 
personally  and  informed  me  that  the  prices  he  asked  were  altogether  too  high.  I  told 
you  to  reduce  them  to  what  you  considered  reasonable,  leaving  him  a  fair  profit,  having 
regard  to  the  circumstances  under  which  the  works  were  built  and  the  extraordinary 
labor  and  expense  which  he  underwent.  In  regard  to  the  question  as  to  whether  or 
not  this  work  belonged  to  you,  or  whether  or  not  you  objected  to  it,  I  have  replied  that, 
it  was  properly  the  work  of  the  Engineer  Department,  but  that  under  the  circumstances, 
you  were  ordered  to  attend  to  it  to  this  extent — that,  whether  you  objected  to  it  or  not, 
I  do  not  remember,  but  whether  you  did  or  not,  I  overruled  the  objection,  and,  finally, 
you  were  not  concerned  in  this  contract  further  than  in  obeying  my  positive  order  to 

make  it  as  above  stated.  *  *  *  *  *  * 

#*  *#**  *  *  * 

Yours  truly, 

J.  C.  FREMONT. 
Brig.-  Gen.  J.  McKiNSTRY. 

[No.  63.] 

A  Letter  from  a  Member  of  the  Cabinet. 

WASHINGTON,  November  30, 1860. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  am  in  receipt  of  yours  of  the  27th  instant,  and  thank  you  for 
your  kindly  allusion  to  myself,  in  connection  with  the  fearful  agitation  that  now  threat- 
ens the  dismemberment  of  our  Government.  I  think  the  President's  message  will  meet 
your  approbation,  but  I  have  little  hope  that  it  will  accomplish  anything  in  moderating 
the  madness  that  rules  the  hour.  The  indications  are  that  the  movement  has  passed 
beyond  the  reach  of  human  control.  God  alone  can  disarm  the  cloud  of  its  lightnings. 
South  Carolina  will  be  out  of  the  Union  and  in  the  armed  assertion  of  a  distinct  nation- 
ality, probably  before  Christmas.  This  is  certain,  unless  the  course  of  events  is  arrest- 
ed by  some  prompt  and  decided  action  on  the  part  of  the  people,  and  the  Legislatures  of 
the  Northern  States,  the  other  slave  States  will  follow  South  Carolina  in  a  few  weeks 
or  months.  The  border  States,  now  so  devoted  to  the  Union,  will  linger  a  little  while, 
but  they  will  soon  unite  their  fortunes  with  those  of  their  Southern  sisters.  Conserva- 
tive men  have  now  no  ground  to  stand  upon  —  no  weapon  to  battle  with.  All  has  been 
swept  from  them  by  the  guilty  agitations  and  infamous  legislation  of  ihe  North.  I  do 
not  anticipate,  with  any  confidence,  that  the  North  will  act  up  to  the  solemn  responsi- 
bilities of  the  crisis,  by  retracing  those  fatal  steps  which  have  conducted  us  to  the  very 
rink  of  perdition,  politically,  morally  and  financially. 


79 

There  is  a  feeling  growing  in  the  free  States  which  sayg,  "  Let  the  South  go  !»  and 
this  feeling  threatens  rapidly  to  increase.  It  is,  in  part,  the  fruit  of  complete  estrange- 
ment, and  in  part  a  weariness  of  this  perpetual  conflict  between  North  and  South,  which 
has  now  lasted,  with  increasing  bitterness,  for  the  last  thirty  years.  The  country  wants 
repose,  and  is  willing  to  purchase  it  at  any  sacrifice.  Alas,  for  the  delusion  of  the 
belief  that  repose  will  follow  the  overthrow  of  the  government. 

I  doubt  not,  from  the  temper  of  the  public  mind,  that  the  Southern  State*  will  be  al- 
lowed to  withdraw  peacefully  ;  but  when  the  work  of  dismemberment  begins,  we  shall 
break  up  the  fragments  from  month  to  month,  with  the  nonchalance  with  which  we 
break  the  bread  upon  our  breakfast  table.  If  all  the  grave  and  vital  questions  which 
will  at  once  arise  among  these  fragments  of  the  ruptured  Republic  can  be  adjusted 
without  resort  to  arms,  then  we  have  made  vast  progress  since  the  history  of  our  race 
was  written.  But  the  tragic  events  of  the  hour  will  show  that  we  have  made  no  pro- 
gress  at  all.  We  shall  soon  grow  up  a  race  of  chieftains,  who  will  rival  the  political 
bandits  of  South  America  and  Mexico,  and  who  will  carve  out  to  us  our  miserable  her- 
itage with  their  bloody  swords.  The  masses  of  the  people  dream  not  of  these  things. 
They  suppose  the  Republic  can  be  destroyed  to-day  and  peace  will  smile  over  its  ruins 
to-morrow.  They  know  nothing  of  civil  war.  This  marah  in  the  desert  of  the  pilgrim- 
age of  nations  has  happily  been  for  them  a  sealed  fountain.  They  know  not  as  others 
do  of  its  bitterness,  and  that  civil  war  is  a  scourge  that  darkens  every  fireside,  and  wrings 
every  heart  with  anguish.  They  are  to  be  commisserated,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do.  Whence  is  all  this  ?  It  has  come  because  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  and  the  cower- 
ing, unscrupulous  politicians  of  the  North  have  taught  the  people  that  they  are  respon- 
sible for  the  domestic  institutions  of  the  South,  and  that  they  can  be  faithful  to  God 
only  by  being  unfaithful  to  the  compact  which  they  have  made  with  their  fellow  men. 
Hence  those  Liberty  bills,  which  degrade  the  statute  books  of  some  ten  of  the  free 
States,  and  are  confessedly  a  shamelets  violation  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  in  a  point 
vital  to  her  honor.  We  have  here  presented,  from  year  to  year,  the  humiliating  specta- 
cle of  free  and  sovereign  States,  by  a  solemn  act  of  legislation,  legalizing  the  theft  of 
their  neighbor's  property.  I  say  THEFT,  since  it  is  not  the  less  so  because  the  subject  of 
the  despicable  crime  chances  to  be  a  slave,  instead  of  a  horse  or  bale  of  goods. 

From  this  same  teaching  has  come  the  perpetual  agitation  of  the  slavery  questions 
which  has  reached  the  minds  of  the  slave  population  of  the  South,  and  has  rendered  every 
home  in  that  distracted  land  insecure.  This  is  the  feature  of  the  irrepressible  conflict 
with  which  the  Northern  people  are  not  familiar.  In  almost  every  part  of  the  South, 
miscreant  fanatics  have  been  found,  and  poisonings  and  conflagrations  have  marked 
their  footsteps.  Mothers  there  lay  down  at  night  trembling  beside  their  children,  and 
wives  cling  to  their  husbands  as  they  leave  their  homes  in  the  morning.  1  have  a  bro- 
ther residing  in  Mississippi  who  is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  a  cotton  planter,  but  has 
never  had  any  connection  with  politics.  Knowing  the  calm  and  conservative  tone  of 
his  character,  I  wrote  him  a  few  weeks  since,  and  implored  him  to  exert  his  influence 
in  allaying  the  frenzy  of  the  popular  mind  around  him.  He  has  replied  to  me  at  much 
length,  and  after  depicting  the  machinations  of  the  wretches  to  whom  I  have  alluded, 
and  the  consternation  which  reigns  in  the  homes  of  the  South,  he  says  it  is  the  unalte 
rable  determination  of  the  Southern  people  to  overthrow  the  Government,  as  the  only  re 
f uge  which  is  left  to  them  from  these  insupportable  wrongs,  and  he  adds  :  ' 
cess  of  this  movement  depends  my  every  earthly  interest -the  safety  of  my  roof  from 
the  firebrand,  and  of  my  wife  and  children  from  the  poison  and  the  dagger.' 

I  give  you  his  language  because  it  truthfully  expresses  the  Southern  mind,  which,  at 
this  moment,  glows  as  a  furnace  in  its  hatred  to  the  North  because  of  these  infernal  a 
itations.     Think  you  that  any  people  can  endure  this  condition  of  things  , 
Northern  preacher  infuses  into  his  audience  the  spirit  of  assassi M /^J11"11.?11™  " 
his  crusade  against  slavery,  does  he  think,  as  he  lies  down  quietly  at  n.ght,  of  the  South- 


80 

ern  homes  he  has  robbed  of  sleep,  and  of  the  helpless  women  and  children  he  has  ex- 
posed to  all  the  nameless  horrors  of  servile  insurrections  ? 

I  am  still  for  the  Union  because  I  have  yet  a  faint,  hesitating  hope  that  the  North 
will  do  justice  to  the  South,  and  save  the  Republic  before  the  wreck  is  complete.  But 
action,  to  be  available,  must  be  prompt.  If  the  free  States  will  sweep  the  liberty  bills 
from  their  codes,  propose  a  convention  of  the  States,  and  offer  guarantees  which  will 
afford  the  same  repose  and  safety  to  Southern  homes  and  property  enjoyed  by  those  of 
the  North,  the  impending  tragedy  may  yet  be  averted,  but  not  otherwise.  I  feel  a  pos- 
itive personal  humiliation  as  a  member  of  the  human  family  in  the  events  now  prepar- 
ing. If  the  Republic  is  to  be  offered  as  a  sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  African  servitude, 
then  the  question  of  man's  capacity  for  self-government  is  forever  settled.  The  deri- 
sion of  the  world  will  henceforth  justly  treat  the  pretension  as  a  farce,  and  the  blessed 
hope  which,  for  five  thousand  years,  our  race,  amid  storms  and  battles,  has  been  hugging 
to  its  bosom,  will  be  demonstrated  to  be  a  phantom  and  a  dream. 

Pardon  these  hurried  and  disjointed  words.  They  have  been  pressed  out  of  my  heart 
by  the  sorrows  that  are  weighing  upon  it. 

Sincerely,  your  friend. 


[No.  64.] 

HEADQUARTERS,  Western  Department,  ) 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  Sept.  5,  1861.      J 
Special  Order,  No.  128. 

Captain  J.  L.  Dodds,  Assistant  Quartermaster,  is  assigned  to  duty  in  this  city, 
and  will  report  to  Captain  P.  T.  TURNLEY,  Assistant  Quartermaster. 

By  order  of  Major-General  Fremont.  J.  C.  KELTON, 

Asst*  Adft  General- 

[No.  65.] 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  27th,  1862. 
GENERAL : 

I  cheerfully  comply  with  your  request  to  state  my  recollection  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  you  examined  the  charges  made  by  Henry  Clapp,  last  summer, 
against  A.  B.  Ogden,  architect  of  Benton  Barracks.  The  accused  and  accuser 
were  present  during  the  whole  of  the  examination,  which  took  place  in  your 
office,  and  was  witnessed  by  several  prominent  residents  of  this  city.  Immedi- 
ately after  hearing  the  evidence  of  Pond,  Clapp's  father-in-law,  which  was  to 
the  effect  that  Clapp  had  told  him  that  he  (Clapp)  had  given  Ogden  a  draft  for 
seven  hundred  dollars  as  a  bonus  to  secure  the  contract  for  roofing  Benton  Bar- 
racks, you  asked  Clapp,  in  your  usual  tone  of  voice,  if  he  had  at  any  time  given 
Ogden  any  draft,  or  money,  or  other  consideration,  for  the  purpose  of  influencing 
the  contract  referred  to  in  Pond's  evidence,  or  any  other  government  contract  in 
the  Western  department,  and  Clapp  promptly  and  distinctly  replied  in  the  nega- 
tive. You  then  asked  him  if  there  had  been  any  private  understanding  between 
Ogden  and  himself  in  the  matter,  to  the  effect  that  in  case  of  the  contract  being 
given  to  him  by  Ogden  there  was  to  be  a  division  of  profits  ;  and  to  this  question 
he  also  gave  a  negative  answer.  Whereupon  you  said  to  him  that  the  charge 
affecting  Ogden's  character  had  been  extensively  circulated  in  the  city,  and  as  he 
had  originated  it,  and  afterwards  completely  exonerated  Ogden  in  the  presence 
of  a  few  witnesses,  he  would  be  required,  as  an  act  of  justice  to  the  accused  and 


81 

to  the  Department  under  your  control,  to  make  a  written  disclaimer,  which 
could  be  laid  before  the  public.  Upon  his  demurring  to  this  condition,  you  in- 
formed him  that  he  could  take  his  choice— either  to  sign  the  required  statement 
or  go  to  the  military  prison  ;  and  at  the  same  time  you  told  him  and  others  in 
the  office  that,  while  you  were  willing  and  ready  on  all  occasions  to  investigate 
charges  of  fraud  alleged  to  have  been  committed  in  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment here,  you  were  determined  not  to  permit  the  author  of  a  false  charge  to  go 
entire  scatheless. 

Clapp  was  advised  by  several  friends  of  his  who  were  present  during  the  exam- 
ination, including  his  father-in-law,  to  sign  a  recantation  of  the  charge  mado  by 
him  against  Ogden,  and  he  accordingly  signed  and  made  affidavit  to  the  follow- 
ing statement : 

"  ST.  Louis,  August  23d,  1861. 

Having  charged  Mr.  Ogden,  the  architect  of  the  Government,  with  fraud  in  the 
management  of  the  business  entrusted  to  him  by  the  Quartermaster,  I  hereby 
revoke  the  said  charge,  and  relieve  him  from  the  same.  I  hereby  swear  and 
declare  that  I  am  a  good  loyal  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  will  do  all  that 
is  in  my  power  to  uphold  and  protect  the  same,  and  that  I  will  not  directly  or 
indirectly  give  aid  to  the  enemy  in  any  manner  or  form. 

HENRY  CLAPP." 

I  did  not,  during  any  part  of  the  examination,  witness  the  boisterous  manner 
nor  hear  the  curses  which  you  are  represented  as  having  exhibited  and  uttered 
by  Mr.  Pond,  whose  evidence  appears  in  the  report  of  the  Commissioners,  who 
sat  in  this  city  last  winter,  to  examine  claims  for  supplies  furnished  in  the  De- 
partment of  the  West ;  and  my  opinion  is  that  if  your  conduct  and  language 
were  as  violent  and  profane  as  they  are  said  to  have  been  by  the  witness  above 
named,  they  would  not  have  escaped  my  observation  or  recollection,  for  1  was 
not  more  than  ten  feet  from  you  during  the  entire  examination,  and  my  memory 
is,  to  say  the  least,  quite  equal  to  the  general  average. 
Yours,  very  respectfully, 

WM.  R.  McCRACKEN, 

Sec'y  of  Provost  Marshal, 
Brig.  Gen.  J.  McKiNsraY,  U.  S.  A.,  St.  Louis.  St.  Louis  Co.,  Mo. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  ) 

V   3  <? 

St.  Louis  County,  j 

Wm.  R.  McCracken,  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  the  statements  made  and 
contained  in  the  foregoing  letter  subscribed  by  him  are  true. 

WM.  R.  McCRACKEN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  12th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1862. 

GEO.  P.  CLARK, 
Notary  Public,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

[No.  66.] 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  29th,  1862. 
General  McKmsTRY : 

DEAR  SIR— I  see  that  the  "War  Claim  Commission,"  in  their  "report," 
to  convey  the  idea  that  great  injustice  was  done  to  Mr.  Clapp  in  the  examination 
at  your  office,  August  23d,  1861,  and  that  the  whole  proceeding  waa  an  outrage 
upon  justice. 


82 

An  intelligent  witness  of  the  facts — Mr.  Bell — engaged  in  Giles  Filley's  stove 
store,  in  a  conversation  at  Benton  Barracks  with  Capt.  Dodds  and  others,  re- 
marked that  the  impression  made  upon  his  mind  by  what  he  heard  and  saw,  was 
that  "the  two  (Pond  and  Clapp)  had  been  reporting  a  lot  of  lies,  and  they  were 
very  glad  to  get  out  of  the  scrape  as  easily  as  possible.5* 

If  I  am  not  mistaken,  Col.  Lewis  V.  Bogy  was  present  and  saw  the  whole  of  it. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  great  jealously  and  ill  feeling  was  created  among 
a  certain  few,  in  consequence  of  my  being  placed  in  charge  of  the  Barracks  ;  and 
no  sooner  had  the  work  commenced  than  rumors  of  the  most  malicious  kind  were 
industriously  circulated  through  the  city,  to  the  effect  that  "I  was  a  seces- 
sionist ;"  that  "I  employed  disloyal  mechanics  in  preference  to  Union  men  ;" 
that  "I  was  wasting  lumber  and  other  Government  property ;"  that  "I  knew 
nothing  whatever  of  the  art  of  architecture  or  engineering,'3  and  that  ((I  was 
daily  robbing  the  Government," 

The  object  to  have  been  accomplished  by  these  slanders,  as  I  believe,  was  to 
shake  the  confidence  of  the  officers  in  command,  and  thereby  effect  my  removal — 
thus  making  a  vacancy  which  some  one  of  these  virtuous  and  patriotic  individ- 
uals could  have  been  prevailed  upon  to  fill.  The  fact  is  suggestive,  in  this  con- 
nection, that  Chas.  H.  Pond,  the  "injured  innocence"  who  gives  such  a  graphic 
account  of  his  son-in-law's  troubles,  (Clapp's,)  is  an  architect.  This  benevolent 
design  to  relieve  me  of  my  labors  failed  most  signally  in  its  execution — hence 
the  towering  rage  of  the  "sore-heads."  I  retained  my  position  until  the  com- 
pletion of  Benton  Barracks  and  the  numerous  buildings  connected  with  the  post, 
in  spite  of  the  calumny  of  these  men. 

Before  this  last  "inquisition"  they  have  had  it  all  their  own  way,  as  they  did 
before  the  former.  The  statement  in  the  "Report"  that  I  required  of,  or  sug- 
gested to,  any  parties  furnishing  materials  that  it  was  necessary  to  add  something 
to  their  prices  for  my  benefit,  is  false  ;  and  is  on  a  par  with  the  testimony  of  Giles 
Filley  before  the  Congressional  Investigating  Committee,  in  relation  to  roof, 
lumber,  etc. 

To  those  desiring  correct  information  of  my  management  of  the  Government 
work  entrusted  to  my  charge,  I  refer  to  any  and  every  man  who  ever  furnished 
the  Barracks  with  one  dollar's  worth  of  materials  of  whatever  kind,  with  perfect 
confidence.  A.  B.  OGDEN, 

Architect  Benton  Barracks. 


[No.  67.] 

STATE  or  MISSOURI,   ") 
County  of  St.  Louis,  ) 

A.  B.  Ogden,  architect,  being  duly  sworn,  says  :  That  at  the  time  the  Van 
Wyck  Investigating  Committee  was  in  St.  Louis,  having  understood  that  they 
were  examining  witnesses  in  regard  to  the  superintendence  and  building  of  the 
Benton  Barracks  at  St.  Louis,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  said  Committee,  stating  in 
substance,  that  I  was  superintendent  of  the  construction  of  said  Barracks,  and 
would  at  any  time  furnish  the  Committee  with  any  information  or  explanation 
in  my  power  in  regard  to  the  building  of  said  Barracks. 

Although  I  was  here  attending  to  my  duties  and  easily  found,  during  all  the 
time  said  Committee  was  at  St.  Louis,  they  did  not  reply  to  my  letter,  nor  call 


83 

on  me  for  any  information  or  explanation.  I  could  have  explained  and  rebutted 
many  of  the  representations  and  statements  made  (or  said  to  have  been  made) 
before  said  Committee,  in  respect  to  the  construction  and  superintendence  of 
said  Barracks. 

I  have. read  what  purports  to  be  the  evidence  of  Giles  F.  Filley,  before  said 
Committee.  His  statement  that  a  contract  (for  the  roofing)  was  made  with 
Thomson  at  $4  50,  and  that  he  sublet  it  at  $3  50,  is  untrue.  Thomson  took  the 
contract  for  roofing  at  $3  50  per  square,  and  he  did  not  sublet  it  at  all. 

This  affiant  further  states  that  he  was  present  at  the  office  of  General  McKin- 
stry  at  the  time  the  examination  took  place,  that  is  mentioned  in  the  testimony 
of  Chas.  H,  Pond,  as  published  by  the  Commissioners  on  War  Claims.  The  said 
published  statement  is  untrue  in  all  of  its  most  essential  particulars.  I  heard 
and  saw  all  that  took  place  at  said  examination.  On  being  interrogated,  Mr. 
Clapp  denied,  in  the  presence  of  Pond,  that  he  had  told  Pond  what  the  hitter 
said  he  had.  General  McKinstry,  in  a  mild  tone,  requested  Mr.  Clapp,  in  the 
presence  of  his  father-in-law,  Col.  Bogy,  Robert  Campbell,  Judge  Cowles,  and 
other  gentleman  in  the  office  at  the  time,  to  state  all  he  (Clapp)  knew,  if  he  knew 
anything,  in  respect  to  any  fraud  in  the  superintendence  or  building  of  the  Ben- 
ton  Barracks.  Mr.  Clapp,  in  reply,  promptly  denied  that  I  had  ever  received  any- 
thing from  him,  and  closed  by  making  a  written  statement,  denying  what  his 
father-in-law  reported  he  had  said,  which  statement  he  signed  and  swore  to,  and 
is  the  same  that  is  now  exhibited  to  me  in  connection  with  the  affidavit  of  Wm. 
R.  McCracken.  I  had  fall  opportunity  to  observe,  and  did  observe,  the  manner 
of  General  McKinstry  during  said  examination ;  and,  while  he  was  earnest  and 
decided  in  his  manner,  he  used  no  profane  language,  of  the  character  attributed 
to  him  by  said  Pond.  Portions  of  the  evidence,  said1  to  have  been  given  by  said 
Pond,  and  published  by  said  Commissioners,  are  greatly  exaggerated  and  other 
portions  are  absolutely  untrue.  General  McKinstry  did  not  attempt  or  prevent 
Clapp  from  making  any  explanation  he  desired  to  ;  on  the  contrary,  General  Mc- 
Kinstry urged  him  to  explain  and  state  all  he  knew.  No  soldiers  were  brought 
in,  nor  was  Clapp  forced  to  sign  an  oath  of  recantation.  Clapp  signed  the  paper 
voluntarily. 

I  further  state  that  what  Pond  says  in  regard  to  the  agreement  between  W.  S. 

King  and  myself,  (p.  648  Com.  Rep.,)  is  untrue. 

A.  B.  OGDEN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  June  2d,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,   ") 
County  of  St.  Louis.  ) 

On  the  7th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1862,  before  me,  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  Notary 
Public  within  and  for  the  said  county,  came  A.  B.  Ogden,  who,  being  by  me 
duly  sworn,  on  his  oath  says  :  I  was  the  Architect  and  Superintendent  of  the 
construction  of  Benton  Barracks.  The  roofing  was  awarded  to  Mr.  Almon 
Thomson  by  Major  McKinstry,  Quartermaster.  The  conditions  of  the  contract 
were,  that  the  roof  on  the  Ten  Buildings  was  to  be  completed  in  ten  days ;  that  it 
was  to  be  a  three  ply  roof,  sand  and  cement.  The  roof  was  completed  within 
the  time  specified  in  the  contract,  and,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  contract, 


84 

J  i&e  conditions  of  the  ^otftract.  I  was  cm  the  grounds  during  the  whole 
time  anji  vwas  frequently  on  the  tW&Bj  and  each  time  that  I  examined  the  roofs 
they  were, betag  put  on  according  W  th£  conditions  of  the  contract.  The  roofs 
were  sound,  without  material  leakage  flfltilJ  the  time  of  the  Van  Wyck  Committee 
visiting  the  city,  when  numerous  persoasy  claiming  to  be  authorized  by  said 
Committee,  went  .Qijit  to  the  Barracks  and  cut  numerous  holes  through  them  and 
threatened  t,o  break  up  the  contract  and  prevent  the  work  being  paid  for.  These 
persons  were  unsue.cesst£<ul  bidders  for  the  contract  for  the  roofing.  There  were 
afterwards  between  £09  asd  400  holes  cut  through  the  roof  for  stove-pipes,  also 
#,  large  number  of  holes  Jf^r  ventilators.  These  holes  were  badly  protected,  they 
were  not  protected  so  as  tp  Desist  the  action  of  the  weather.  These  holes  were 
3,11  cut  after  the  contract  was  .completed  and  the  work  turned  over  to  the  Govern- 
ment. The  buildings  were  slanged  to  accommodate  a  large  number  of  troops, 
by  changing  the  interior  arrangements  of  the  Barracks.  This  was  done  by  the 
soldiers^  and  by  such  changes  unegu.al  settings  of  the  buildings  might  have  been 
caused.  I  was  on  the  premises  daily  for  three  months  after  the  completion  of 
the  rocf s,  .and  frequently  saw  the  ropfs  receiving  treatment  that  was  calculated 
to  injure  the  same.  All  those  roofs  at  \h&  Barracks  whieh  were  not  interfered 
with,  suck  as  Officers'  quarters,  Quartermaster's  storehouse,  Commissary's  store- 
house, bakery,  stables,  guard-house,  &c.,  were  in  good  condition  and  not  com- 
plained of,  and  were  not  defective,  being  the  same  kind  of  roof.  The  price  of 
the  roofing  was  reasonable,  and  less  than  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  paying  for 
such  work.  This  statement  is  the  same  in  substance  which  I  made  before  the 
Commissioners. 

(Signed,)  A.  B.  OGDEN. 

Subscribed  and  swora  t,o  before  me,  this  7th  day  of  ^pril,  1862. 

CHARLES  H.  TILLSON. 


[No.  68.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,   ") 
€cunty  of  St.  Louis,  j 

On  the  8th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1862,  before  me,  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  Notary 
Public  within  and  for  said  county,  came  Elisha  Jameson,  who,  being  by  me 
duly  sworn,  says  :  I  am  a  Builder  and  Superintendent.  Was  employed  by  Gov- 
ernment in  the  construction  of  Benton  Barracks  from  the  commencement  to  com- 
pletion. I  was  Assistant  Superintendent  under  Mr.  Ogden.  I  built  five  of  the 
ten  barrack  buildings,  the  General's  head-quarters,  all  of  the  Commissary  and 
Quartermaster's  storehouses.  I  was  on  the  premises  every  day  while  the  roofing 
was  being  put  on,  and  was  on  the  buildings  also  while  they  were  being  roofed. 
I  have  had  a  good  many  roofs  of  the  kind  put  on  and  know  what  they  are.  I 
consider  the  roof  at  Benton  Barracks  a  good  three  ply  felt  cement  roof,  coming 
up  to  all  the  requirements  of  Mr,  Thomson's  contract.  For  two  months  after 
the  completion  of  the  roof  I  was  employed  at  the  barracks,  and  was  about  the 
buildings  every  day  and  never  heard  any  .complaints  about  the  roof  during  that 
time.  The  weather  was  raining  during  a  large  portion  of  the  time.  If  the  roofs 
were  defective,  it  is  not  the  fault  of  Mr,  Thomson,  the  contractor,  but  from 
damage  received  by  cutting  stove  pipe  holes  and  ventilators,  and  the  abuse  of 
the  soldiers  since  the  completion  and  reception  by  the  Government.  The  price 
of  $3  50  per  square  allowed  by  Quartermaster's  voucher,  is  unusually  cheap, 


85 

lower  than  I  have  ever  paid  for  similar  work  by  fifty  cents  per  square     I  have 
paid  as  high  as  $6  for  the  same  kind  of  roofing. 

(Signed,)  ELISHA  JAMESON. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  the  8th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1862  as  wit- 
ness my  hand  and  official  seal. 

CHARLES  H.  TILLSON, 
Notary  Public,  St.  Louie  County,  Mo. 

I  hereby  certify  that  I  have  carefully  examined  and  compared  the  within  and 
foregoing  with  the  original  affidavits  of  Charles  H.  Peck,  John  B.  Gibson,  Z.  T 
Knott,  Henry  Kennedy,  John  Ramsey,  and  A.  B.  Ogden  and  Elisha  Jameson  ;  as 
also  the  certificates  of  James  O.Broadhead,U.  S.  District  Attorney,  R.  J.  Howard, 
Collector  of  Customs,  F.  A.  Dick,  Esq.,  and  John  H.  Andrews,  Sheriff  of  St.  Louis 
county,  contained  therein,  and  find  that  they  are  true  and  exact  copies  of  such 
original  affidavits  and  certificates. 
Witness  my  hand  and  official  seal,  this  17th  day  of  April,  1862. 

CHARLES  H.  TILLSON. 
Notary  Public,  St.  Louis  County,  Mo. 

[No.  69.] 

Almon  Thomson,  of  the  city  and  county  of  St.  Louis,  State  of  Missouri,  being 
duly  sworn,  says  :  That  the  insinuation  contained  in  the  report  of  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  the  Adjudication  of  Claims  against  the  United  States  in  the 
Western  Department,  that  this  affiant  was  in  any  way  the  "  favorite  "  of  Gen. 
McKinstry  in  letting  the  contract  for  roofing  Benton  Barracks,  or  in  any  other 
way,  is  wholly  false  and  untrue,  and  is  unsupported  by  any  fact  whatever,  and 
is  simply  a  statement  entirely  unwarranted  and  gratuitous  by  that  Hon.  Board. 
That  said  McKinstry,  instead  of  having  or  exhibiting  any  partiality  toward  thin 
affiant,  was  always,  in  the  opinion  of  this  affiant,  unnecessarily  severe  and  exact- 
ing. That  the  affiant  took  no  measures  whatever  to  obtain  said  contract  for 
roofing  Benton  Barracks  other  than  filing  his  bid,  which  was  three  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  per  square. 

The  alleged  "favoritism"  may,  perhaps,  be  seen  in  this  fact,  that  on  Friday 
General  McKinstry  announced  to  this  affiant  that  said  contract  was  awarded  to 
him,  and  that  this  affiant  would  be  required  to  perform  his  work  in  ten  days  from 
that  time  ;  that  affiant  commenced  immediately  to  remove  his  roofing  matorial 
from  the  'city  of  St.  Louis  to  said  barracks,  a  distance  of  about  three  miles. 
That  late  on  Saturday  following,  Gen.  McKinstry  annulled  said  contract,  on  th<- 
ground  that  a  lower  proposition  had  been  received  subsequent  to  said  awarding  ; 
that  this  affiant  made  no  complaint,  but  made  immediate  preparation  to  bring 
back  his  said  material ;  that  on  the  Monday  following  said  McKinstry  announced 
to  this  affiant  that  he  should  look  to  him  to  perform  said  work  according  to  con- 
tract, that  said  lower  bidder  did  not  appear  to  be  responsible.  That  thereupon 
affiant  went  on  in  the  most  expeditious  manner  and  roofed  the  said  barracks, 
working  night  and  day  until  the  same  was  completed,  and  did  the  job  in  a  good, 
substantial,  workmanlike  manner,  and  in  accordance  with  said  contract.  That 
at  the  time  said  contract  was  awarded,  affiant  had  exclusive  control  of  the  mate- 
rial in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  necessary  to  the  performing  such  said  contract. 
That  Gen.  McKinstry,  or  any  other  for  him,  or  any  person  connected  with  the 
Quartermaster,  had  no  interest  whatever  of  any  kind  in  said  contract  or  grow- 


86 

ing  out  of  the  same,  or  of  any  contract  with  which  this  affiant  has  ever  been 
connected.  That  General  McKinstry,  or  any  person  for  him,  or  any  person  in 
any  way  connected  with  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  did  never  receive  any 
reward,  profit,  or  benefit,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  reason  of  or  growing  out  of 
said  contract,  or  any  other  contract  of  affiant's  in  any  way  whatever,  nor  was 
any  such  reward,  profit,  or  benefit  ever  expected  or  offered.  That  any  insinua- 
tion or  statement  to  the  contrary  of  the  foregoing,  whether  made  by  said  Hon. 
Board  of  Commissioners,  or  any  other  person,  is  unqualifiedly  false.  That  the 
statement  made  by  this  affiant  concerning  one  Clapp,  testified  to  by  one  Pond  as 
having  taken  place  on  the  examination  of  said  Clapp  before  said  McKinstry,  was 
simply  this  (and  not  said  in  a  whisper),  that  said  Clapp  had  stated  to  the  affiant 
he  wanted  work  on  said  barrack  roof.  To  which  affiant  replied  that  he,  Clapp, 
could  get  plenty  of  work.  Clapp  responded  that  he  could  not  unless  he  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Government,  which  he  never  would  do.  This  was  sub- 
stantially what  I  told  McKinstry  at  said  cime,  testified  to  by  said  Pond  before 
said  Hon.  Board,  and  by  said  Hon.  Board  made  mention  of  in  their  said  Report. 
And  this  affiant  further  says  that  he  never  testified  before  the  Congressional  Van 
Wyck  Investigating  Committee  that  five  thousand  dollars  in  gold  was  left,  or  to 
be  left,  with  McKinstry,  (said  five  thousand  dollars  being  the  amount  due  John 
Bowen  for  the  sale  of  horse  contract  to  one  Wheeler).  1st.  There  was  no  gold 
paid  by  the  Government  at  all.  2d.  On  the  day  of  settlement  with  the  Quarter- 
master, said  Bowen  was  present,  the  amount  due  him  was  then  settled  upon,  but 
as  it  took  a  long  time  for  said  McKinstry  to  endorse  the  Treasury  notes  which 
were  to  be  paid  us,  and  it  was  near  night,  this  affiant  agreed  with  Bowen  to  leave 
five  thousand  dollars  in  the  Quartermaster's  office  for  him,  he,  Bowen,  wishing 
to  go  away  on  other  business,  which  was  accordingly  done. 

ALMON  THOMSON. 
Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  23d  day  of  May,  1862. 

R,  W.  HAMILTON. 

Notary  Public. 

[No.  70.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ") 
County  of  St.  Louis. ) 

On  this  fifth  day  of  April,  A.  D.,  1862,  before  me,  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  No- 
tary Public,  within  and  for  said  county,  personally  came  Charles  H.  Peck,  who, 
being  by  me  duly  sworn,  says  that  he  has  resided  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  for  the 
last  twenty-two  years  ;  is,  by  profession,  an  architect  and  master  builder,  and 
has  been  largely  engaged  in  building  during  most  of  said  time.  "  I  am  acquaint- 
ed with  Benton  Barracks,  built  near  St.  Louis,  in  the  fall  of  1861 ;  I  am  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  roofing,  put  on  said  Barracks  by  Mr.  Thomson,  for  the  Govern- 
ment, having  made  two  separate  special  examinations  of  it. 

The  first  examination  was  during  the  fall  of  1861,  about  the  1st  of  October. 
There  were  other  architects  and  builders  who  made  the  examination  with  me. 
They  were  :  John  B.  Gibson,  Z.  T.  Knott,  and  Henry  Kennedy.  From  my  ex- 
amination, I  considered  it  a  first-rate  felt  cement  sand  roof,  a  good  job  of  the 
kind.  I  examined  it  particularly,  to  find  if  it  was  a  three-ply  roof ;  gave  it  a 
thorough  examination.  In  fully  eight-tenths  of  the  places,  I  found  that  it  was 
hr  ee-ply ;  in  some  places  four-ply,  and,  occasionally,  two-ply.  I  consider  it  a 


87 

three-ply  roof.  I  considered  that  there  was  sufficient  cement.  We  went  over 
each  of  the  ten  barracks  buildings.  The  causes  of  leakage,  and  other  defects, 
were,  firstly,  the  roof  was  originally  too  flat,  the  ground  was  soft,  on  a  wet  lo- 
cation, and  the  barracks  being  temporarily  constructed,  settled  unevenly  in  some 
places,  settling  so  much  in  the  centre  as  to  leave  the  roof  almost  level.  The  roof 
had  been  very  much  abused.  There  were  hundreds  of  holes  cut  through  it  for 
stove  pipes  and  ventilators,  varying  in  size  from  ten  to  twenty  inches  in  diameter, 
ter,  some  of  which  were  wholly  unprotected,  and  none  of  which  were  properly  pro- 
tected against  the  weather.  This,  in  my  judgment,  was  enough  to  ruin  the  roof. 
We  went  on  the  roofs  of  the  officers'  quarters  and  store-houses,  having  the  same 
kind  of  roofing,  but  the  buildings  being  more  substantial,  and  the  roof  not  hav- 
ing been  interfered  with,  by  cutting  of  holes  or  otherwise,  we  found  them  in  good 
condition,  and  knew  of  no  complafnts  of  their  leakage.  The  price  of  three  dol- 
lars and  a  half  a  square  was  cheaper  than  I  ever  had  any  work  of  the  kind  done, 
and  I  considered  it  a  cheap  price. 

I  made  a  second  examination  of  this  roof  during  the  sittings  of  the  Commis- 
sion for  the  adjustment  of  claims  against  the  United  States,  of  which  the  Hon. 
David  Davis  was  President,  and  I  was  confirmed  in  my  previous  judgment  con- 
cerning the  roof.  In  my  opinion,  the  imperfections  in  the  roof  were  not  the 
fault  of  the  roofer  and  contractor,  Mr.  Thomson.  I  stated,  substantially,  these 
facts  before  the  Commission,  and  make  them  again,  at  this  time,  at  the  request  of 

Mr,  Thomson. 

CHAS.  II.  PECK. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  April,  1862,  as  witness  my 
hand  and  official  seal,  at  my  office  in  St.  Louis,  aforesaid. 

CHARLES  H.  TILLSON, 
Notary  Public,  St.  Louis  county,  Mo. 


[No.  71.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,   > 
County  of  St.  Louis.) 

On  this  5th  day  of  April,  A.  D.,  1862,  before  me,  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  Nota- 
ry Public,  within  and  for  said  county,  came  John  B.  Gibson,  who,  being  by  me 
duly  sworn,  says  that  he  has  read  the  statement  made  in  the  foregoing  affidavit 
of  Charles  H.  Peck,  and  fully  concurs  with  him  in  his  statements  ;  that  he  has 
been  an  architect  and  builder,  in  St.  Louis,  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  and  is 
well  acquainted  with  the  roof  put  on  Benton  Barracks,  by  Mr.  Thomson,  and 
made  the  examination  with  Mr.  Peck,  that  none  of  the  leakage  or  defects  of  the 
roof  are  traceable  to  the  fault  of  the  roofer  and  contractor,  Mr.  Thomson.  The 
roof  was  a  good  three-ply  roof,  and  the  price  charged  was  cheaper  than  I  hare 
always  paid,  and  cheaper  than  usual.  He  appeared  before  the  Commission  re- 
ferred to  by  Mr.  Peck,  and  made  before  them  substantially  the  same  t 
which  he  now  makes.  JQHK  B  GIBSON. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  the  day  and  year  aforesaid,  as  witness  my 
hand  and  official  seal,  CHARLES  H.  TILLSON 

Notary  Public. 


88 

[No.  72.] 
STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 

County  of  St.  Louis.  $ 

On  this  5th  day  of  April,  1862,  before  me,  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  Notary  Public 
within  and  for  said  county,  came  Z.  T.  Knott,  who,  being  duly  sworn  by  me,  says 
that  he  has  read  the  statement  of  Mr.  Charles  H.  Peck,  and  concurs  with  him  in 
his  statement  that  the  roof  on  Benton  Barracks  was  a  good  three-ply  roof,  and 
that  the  price  of  three  dollars  and  a  half  a  square  was  unusually  cheap,  less 
than  he  has  ever  had  such  work  done,  or  known  it  to  be  done.  If  there  was 
any  fault  in  the  roof,  in  his  opinion,  it  was  not  chargeable  to  Mr.  Thomson,  the 
contractor.  He  is  a  builder  and  superintendent,  and  has  been  such,  in  St.  Louis, 
for  the  last  twenty  years.  He  was  with  Messrs.  Peck,  Gibson,  and  Kennedy, 
when  they  made  their  first  examination.  This  is,  in  substance,  what  he  stated 
before  the  Commission. 

Z.  T.  KNOTT. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  April,  1862,  as  witness  my 
hand  and  official  seal.  CHARLES  H.  TILLSON, 

Notary  Public. 

[No.  73.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 
County  of  St.  Louis.  $ 

On  this  5th  day  of  April,  1862,  before  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  Notary  Public, 
within  and  for  said  county,  personally  came  Henry  Kennedy,  who,  being  by  me 
duly  sworn,  says  that  he  has  been  a  builder  and  architect,  in  St.  Louis,  for  the 
last  twenty  years  :  that  he  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  roof  of  Benton 
Barracks  in  company  with  Messrs.  Peck,  Gibson,  and  Knott ;  that  he  has  read 
the  affidavit  of  Mr.  Charles  H.  Peck,  in  relation  to  that  roof,  and  fully  concurs 
with  Mr.  Peck  in  his  statement,  with  this  exception,  that  he  has  had  the  same 
kind  of  work  done  at  the  same  price,  but  never  cheaper,  and  that  was  a  job  of 
Government  work  ;  that  he  is  satisfied  that  any  leakage  or  defect  which  may 
have  appeared  in  the  roof  was  not  the  fault  of  Mr.  Thomson,  the  contractor,  but 
was  owing  to  the  causes  stated  by  Mr.  Peck  ;  that  the  roof  was  a  good  three-ply 
roof,  and  done  for  a  price  cheaper  than  such  work  is  generally  done  here,  and  is 
as  good  a  roof  of  the  kind  as  I  ever  saw,  and  is  the  right  kind  of  a  roof  for  such 
buildings  as  the  Barracks.  I  have  paid,  for  just  such  a  roof,  as  high  as  five  dol- 
lars a  square.  This  is  substantially  the  same  statement  which  I  made  before  the 
Commission.  HENRY  KENNEDY. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  April,  1862,  as  witness  my 
hand  and  official  seal.  CHARLES  H.  TILLSON, 

Notary  Public. 

[No.  74.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 
County  of  St.  Louis.  ) 

On  this  5th  day  of  April,  A.  D.,  1862,  before  me,  Charles  H.  Tillson,  a  No- 
tary Public,  within  and  for  said  county,  came  John  Ramsey,  who,  being  by  me 
duly  sworn,  on  his  oath,  says  that  he  has,  for  the  last  twelve  years,  been  a  su- 
perintendent and  builder,  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  ;  that  he  is  well  acquainted 


89 

with  the  job  of  roofing  on  Benton  Barracks  ;  that  he  examined  it  thoroughly,  in 
company  with  Messrs.  Peck  and  Gibson,  and  walked  over  almost  the  entire  roofing 
of  the  buildings  at  the  Barracks,  on  the  21st  of  January,  1862,  with  a  view  of 
inspecting  and  examining  the  roof  as  to  its  construction.  He  found  it  a  good 
three-ply  felt  roof,  and  in  no  place  that  he  examined  did  he  find  it  less  than  three- 
ply.  He  found  numerous  holes  made  in  the  roof  since  it  had  been  put  on  ;  half 
of  the  length  of  one  Barracks  had  sixty-one  holes  cut  in  it,  for  purposes  of  stove 
pipes,  ventilation,  and  other  purposes,  of  which  number  thirty-five  were  unpro- 
tected, and  all  of  them  liable  to  leak.  He  found  leaks  at  some  of  the  eaves  or 
porches,  caused  by  the  water  from  the  eave  running  back  on  the  lover  side  of 
the  sheeting,  the  roof  being  so  flat,  and  in  some  places  lowest  next  to  the  build- 
ing, which  might  have  been  prevented  by  the  carpenter  putting  on  a  strip  three 
or  four  inches  wide  before  roofing.  This  leakage  was  not  caused  by  any  fault  in 
the  roof,  but  in  the  construction  of  the  building  at  the  eaves.  He  states  that  at 
no  other  place  did  he  see  evidences  of  leakage,  except  where  the  holes  had  been 
cut  in  the  building.  He  states  that  the  price  was  a  low  one  for  the  job.  He  never 
had  such  roofing  put  on  at  less  than  four  dollars  a  square,  of  one  hundred  super- 
ficial square  feet.  He  states  that  this  is,  in  substance,  what  he  stated  before  the 
Commission.  He  states  that  he  did  not  see  any  defect  or  leakage  which  was  tho 
fault  of  Mr.  Thomson,  the  contractor,  or  roofer.  JOHN  RAMSEY. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  April,  1862,  as  witness  my 
hand  and  official  seal.  CHARLES  H.  T1LLSON, 

Notary  Public. 

I  hereby  state  that  Charles  Peck,  John  B.  Gibson,  Z.  T.  Knott,  Henry  Ken- 
nedy, and  John  Ramsey,  are  old  residents  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis  of  the  highest 
respectability  and  character  ;  that  they  rank  amongst  the  foremost  of  their  pro- 
fession as  architects  and  master  builders ;  as  men  of  veracity,  their  statements 
may  be  implicitly  relied  upon,  and  their  judgment  in  reference  to  the  matters  em- 
braced in  the  claim  of  Mr.  Thomson  is  worthy  of  the  highest  confidence. 
ST.  Louis,  April  9,  1862.  JOS.  0.  BROADHEAD. 

I  am  personally  acquainted  with  all  the  parties  spoken  of  by  Mr.  Broadhead, 
and  fully  concur  in  the  opinion  expressed  by  him. 

R.  J.  HOWARD. 

I  have  implicit  confidence  in  the  integrity  and  ability  of  Messrs.  Peck,  Gibson 
and  Kennedy,  from  personal  knowledge  of  them,  and  rely  upon  their  statements 
as  correct.  F.A.DICK. 

I  hereby  certify  that  I  am  personally  acquainted  with  Charles  H.  Peck,  John 
B.  Gibson,  Z.  T.  Knott,  Henry  Kennedy,  and  John  Ramaey,  who  have  made  the 
foregoing  affidavits.  They  are  amongst  our  most  respectable  citizens,  and  stand 
at  the  head  of  their  profession  as  architects  and  builders.  Their  statements  are 
entitled  to  the  fullest  credence,  and  their  opinions  and  judgments  in  relation  to 
the  matters  in  which  they  have  testified,  in  my  judgment,  should  be  implicitly  re- 
lied upon.  Having  been  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  this 
city  I  have  had  excellent  opportunities  of  knowing  these  gentium  ...  a 
toating  the  value  of  their  statements. 


90 

[No.  75.J 

STATE  or  MISSOURI,    ) 
County  of  St.  Louis.  S 

Almon  Thomson,  being  duly  sworn,  says :  My  attention  has  been  called  to  the 
report  of  my  testimony,  p.  641  of  the  report  of  the  Van  Wyck  Committee.  My  testi- 
mony as  given  before  that  Committee  is  not  truly  reported,  it  is  garbled  and  misstated 
in  several  particulars,  and  especially  what  is  reported  on  the  page  above  in  regard  to 
the  service  of  silver  plate. 

No  threat  was  ever  made  to  me  by  any  one  that  if  I  did  not  subscribe  I  would  have 
trouble  in  getting  my  dues  from  the  Government,  nor  did  I  so  state  before  said  Com- 
mittee. What  I  did  state  was,  that  I  was  told  that  it  would  be  for  my  interest  to  sub- 
scribe, and  that  it  would  probably  facilitate  the  collection  of  my  claims. 

ALMON  THOMSON. 
Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  12th  day  of  June,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r.  for  Mo. 


[No.  76.] 

ST.  Louis  ARSENAL,  July  5,  1861. 
Gen.  THOMAS,  Adjutant-Gen.,  Washington: 

Gen.  Lyon  is  moving  down  from  Boonville  towards  Springfield,  Greene  county, 
Mo.,  with  2,400  troops.  Major  Sturgis  is  on  the  way  from  Fort  Leavenworth  with 
2,200.  There  are  3,500  on  the  south-west  branch  of  Pacific  Railroad  and  the  line  thence 
to  Mount  Vernon,  beyond  Springfield.  In  a  day  or  two  another  regiment  will  be 
moved  down.  There  is  a  depot  for  supplies  at  Rolla,  the  terminus  of  the  Southwest 
Branch;  another  must  be  established  at  Springfield.  All  the  supplies,  say  10,000 
troops,  must  take  that  direction.  From  Rolla,  on  for  sixty  miles,  the  country  is  moun- 
tainous and  barren.  Teams  have  to  take  their  own  forage.  It  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  a  large  amount  of  wagon  transportation  should  be  immediately  provided.  Will  you 
see  that  the  necessary  orders  are  given  by  the  Quartermaster-General,  by  telegraph,  to 
Major  Me Kinstry,  early  in  the  morning?  General  Lyon  urges  that  regular  Quarter- 
masters and  Commissaries  be  sent  him  at  once. 

CHESTER  HARDING,  JR., 
A.  A.  G.  Mo.   Vol. 

[No.  77.] 

HEADQUARTERS  SOUTH-WEST  EXPEDITION,  ) 
SIR  :  SPRINGFIELD,  Mo.,  July  13,  1861.      ) 

I  arrived  at  this  place  early  this  evening,  two  or  three  hours  in  advance  of  my  troops, 
who  are  encamped  a  few  miles  back.  I  have  about  5,000  men  to  be  provided  for,  and 
have  expected  to  find  stores  here,  as  I  have  ordered.  The  failure  of  stores  reaching 
here  seems  likely  to  cause  serious  embarrassment,  which  must  be  aggravated  by  con- 
tinued delay,  and  in  proportion  to  the  time  I  am  forced  to  wait  for  supplies.  *  * 
*  *  *  *  *  *  I  shall  endeavor  to  take  every  due  precau- 
tion to  meet  existing  emergencies,  and  hope  to  be  able  to  sustain  the  cause  of  the  Gov- 
ernment in  this  part  of  the  State.  But  there  must  be  no  loss  of  time  in  furnishing  me 
the  resources  I  have  herein  mentioned.  I  have  lost  in  reaching  this  place  about  four 
days'  time,  by  the  high  waters  in  Grand  and  Osage  Rivers,  which  made  it  necessary  to 
ferry  them.  The  same  difficulty  prevented  Sturgis  from  co-operating  with  Sigel  in 
time  to  afford  any  aid.  Please  telegraph  to  McClellan  and  to  Washington  anything  in 


91 

this  letter  you  deem  of  importance  to  these  headquarters.  Shoes,  shirts,  blouses,  &c. 
are  much  Wanted,  and  I  would  have  you  furnish  them,  if  possible,  in  considerable 
quantities.  Yours  truly, 

r  ,  n  N.  LYON,  Brig.-Gen.  Coma'g. 

Col.  CHESTER  HARDING,  St.  Louis  Arsenal. 

Copy  of  the  following  was  sent  to  Assistant  Adjutant  General  at  Washington,  to 
Gen.  Fremont,  New  York,  and  to  Col.  Blair,  Washington  : 

SPRINGFIELD,  Mo.,  July  13,  1861. 

My  effective  force  will  soon  be  reduced  by  discharge  of  three  months  volunteers  to 
about  4,400  men,  including  the  Illinois  regiment  now  on  the  march  from  Rolla.  Gov . 
Jackson  will  soon  have  in  this  vicinity  not  less  than  30,000.  I  must  have  at  once  an 
additional  force  of  10,000  men  or  abandon  my  position.  All  must  have  supplies  and 
clothing. 

N.  LYON,  Brig. -Gen.  Comd'g. 

SPRINGFIELD,  Mo.,  July  27,  1861. 
To  Col.  C.  HARDING,  St.  Louis  Arsenal,  Mo. 

DEAR  SIR  : 

I  have  your  notes  about  matters  in  St.  Louis,  &c.,  and  your  proceeding  seems  to 
me  perfectly  correct.  Now  that  matters  North  seem  more  quiet,  cannot  you  manage  to 
get  a  few  regiments  this  way  ?  I  am  in  the  deepest  concern  on  this  subject,  and  you 
must  urge  this  matter  upon  Fremont  as  of  vital  importance.  These  three  months'  vol- 
unteers will  re-enlist  if  they  could  be  paid,  but  they  are  now  dissatisfied,  and  if  troops 
do  not  replace  them,  all  that  is  gained  may  be  lost.  I  have  not  been  able  to  move  for 
want  of  supplies,  anci  this  delay  will  exhaust  the  term  of  the  three  months'  men.  Cannot 
something  be  done  to  have  our  men  and  officers  paid,  as  well  as  have  our  purchases 
paid  for.  If  the  Government  cannot  give  due  attention  to  the  West,  her  interests 
must  have  a  corresponding  disparagement.  Yours  truly, 

N.  LYON,  Brig.-Gen.  Comd'g. 

HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,  ) 

ST.  Louis,  Aug.  13,  1861. 
HON.  THOMAS  A.  SCOTT, 

Assistant  Secretary  of  War. 

Dispatch  received.  Our  soldiers  are  not  promptly  paid,  partly  from  the  small 
force  of  Paymasters,  more  from  want  of  money,  which  fatally  embarrasses  every  branch 
of  the  public  service  here.  I  require  this  week  three  millions  for  Quartermaster's  De- 
partment. .  J-  C.  FREMONT, 

Major- General  Commanding. 

[No.  78.] 

Extract  from  a  letter  of  Hon.  M.  Blair,  Postmaster,  to  Gen.  Fremont  : 

WASHINGTON,  July  26,  1861. 
DEAR  GENERAL  : 

I  have  two  telegrams  from  you,  but  find  it  impossible  now  to  get  any  i 
to  Missouri  or  Western  matters  from  the  authorities  here.    You  will  have  to  do 
the  best  you  can,  and  take  all  needful  responsibility  to  defend  and  protect  the 
people  over  whom  you  are  specially  set. 

*  *    *         *  ##•**• 

Yours  truly,  and  in  haste, 

M.  BLAIR. 


92 

[No.  79.] 
Extract  from  a  letter  of  Hon.  M.  Blair  to  Gen.  Fremont : 

WASHINGTON,  Aug.  24,  1861. 
DEAR  GENERAL  : 

********* 

I  write  now,  to-day,  in  [reply  to  your  letter  about  Meigs,  that  you  must  not 
suppose  that  he  intended  by  his  telegram  to  Turnley  to  reflect  upon  you.  Far 
from  it.  I  happened  in  the  office  when  he  opened  Turnley's  requisition,  and  re- 
marked to  me,  substantially,  what  he  telegraphed  to  Turnley.  But  he  did  not 
know  that  Turnley  had  any  instructions  from  you  to  get  horses  of  any  superior 
quality.  No  such  suggestion  accompanied  the  requisition,  and  I  will  guarantee 
that  if  Turnley  makes  any  explanation,  which  puts  the  responsibility  on  you,  it 
will  be  satisfactory  to  Meigs. 

I  say  this  without  having  seen  him  at  all  since  the  receipt  of  yours  on  the 
subject ;  but  I  think  I  understand  him  fully.  I  heard  him  say  to  General  Scott 
some  time  ago,  that  if  he  would  name  a  day  when  he  must  have  horses  they 
should  be  ready.  "If  next  week,  they  would  cost  $150;  if  the  week  after,  $125. 
The  price  was  nothing.  The  horse  might  be  worth  the  price  many  times  to  the 
Government,  if  ready  when  wanted,  and  of  course  of  no  value  if  not."  This  is 
the  style  of  man  he  is,  and  you  will  have,  and  I  believe  have  not  had  any  delay 
or  difficulty  from  him.  The  trouble  is  elsewhere.  Chase  has  more  horror  of 
seeing  Treasury  notes  below  par  than  of  seeing  soldiers  killed,  and  therefore 
has  held  back  too  much  I  think.  I  don't  believe  at  all  in  that  style  of  managing 
the  Treasury.  It  depends  on  the  war,  and  it  is  better  to  get  ready  and  beat  the 
enemy  by  selling  stocks  at  50  per  cent,  discount  than  wait  to  negotiate  and  lose 

a  battle. 

****  *  ***# 

Yours  truly,  M.  BLAIR. 


[No.  80.] 

QUARTERMASTER  GENERAL'S  OFFICE,) 
WASHINGTON,  August  28,  1861.      5 
To  the  Hon.  F.  P.  BLAIR,  St.  Louis,  Mo.: 

DEAR  COLONEL— Your  brother,  the  Postmaster  General,  has  handed  me  your  let- 
ter of  the  21st  August.  I  asked  him  to  let  me  have  it,  that  I  might,  by  a  few  word?, 
strengthen  your  hands  and  General  Fremont's,  and  disabuse  both  him  and  you  of  some 
errors  which  may  give  trouble. 

If  there  is  any  difficulty  in  the  Quartermaster's  department  of  Missouri,  the  blame 
does  not  rest  here.  All  requisitions  have  been  promptly  met  here,  and  the  officers  have 
been  instructed  to  spare  no  effort  and  no  means  of  this  Department  in  aiding,  to  the  ex- 
tent of  their  power,  General  Lyon's  movements.  There  may  be  reasons  of  time,  of 
quality,  which  induce  a  General  to  order  a  purchase  at  a  higher  rate  ;  and  while  I  com- 
municated to  the  Quartermaster  as  to  the  ruling  prices  of  horses,  the  market  rates,  I 
called  upon  the  Treasury  to  send  all  the  money  he  asked  for. 

Tell  General  Fremont  that  no  man  more  than  myself  desires  to  sustain  him  ;  no  one 
is  more  ready  to  take  the  responsibility  to  assist  him,  and  that  he  has,  in  my  opinion, 
already  the  power  which  you  say  ought  to  be  conferred  upon  him  by  the  President. 
Whatever  a  General  commanding  orders,  the  subordinates  of  his  staff  are  by  regula- 
tions, compelled  to  do,  if  possible. 


93 

The  General  is  charged  with  saving  the  country.  The  country  will  be  very  careful 
to  approve  his  measures,  and  will  judge  his  mistakes,  if  any,  very  tenderly,  if  success- 
ful. Success  crowns  the  work,  and  let  him  spare  no  responsibility,  no  effort,  to  secure 
it.  All  the  requisitions  for  money  in  Missouri  have  been  promptly  passed  through  this 
office.  The  delay,  if  any  has  occurred,  is  at  the  Treasury  Department,  which  has  al- 
lowed the  Department  to  fall  in  debt  in  Cincinnati  and  Philadelphia,  each  about  a  mil. 
lion  of  dollars,  for  clothing  and  camp  equipage. 

There  are  wagons  making  in  Cincinnati,  which  Captain  Dickinson  will  send  to  St. 
Louis,  if  wanted.  Those  made  at  Milwaukee  I  ordered  to  St.  Louis  long  ago.  A  num. 
her  of  wagons  are  ordered  to  be  made  in  St.  Louis,  and  authority  given  to  Major  Me- 
Kinstry  to  provide  all  that  might  be  required  for  moving  the  armies  of  that  Department. 

In  regard  to  advertising  and  delivery,  the  law  of  1861,  and  the  regulations,  expressly 
provide  that  in  case  of  public  exigencies,  supplies  are  to  be  bought  in  open  market,  or 
between  individuals.  Exercise  this  power.  Moreover,  advertisements  or  public  notice, 
do  not  require  postponing  opening  of  bids  for  a  month,  or  a  week,  or  two  days.  If  for- 
age, wagons,  or  horses,  are  wanted,  the  law,  the  necessity,  are  fully  met  by  putting  a 
notice  in  the  papers,  and  purchasing  as  fast  as  offers  come  in.  The  next  day,  or  the 
same  day,  take  the  then  lowest  bidder,  or  the  then  most  advantageous  offer.  The  day 
after,  you  will  have  a  still  better  offer ;  take  that  for  a  portion  of  your  supplies,  and  so 
on  till  you  have  all  you  need.  By  this  system  I  have  brought  down  the  price  of  horses 
from  $128  to  $120}  of  wagons  from  $111  to  $108  since  I  came  here,  and  have  got  abun- 
dant supplies. 

These  explanations  will,  I  hope,  remove  many  difficulties  from  the  way  of  our  armies 
in  Missouri.  Count  upon  me  as  ready  to  aid  in  what  1  believe  the  righl,  cheap,  stra- 
getic,  statesmanlike  mode  of  conducting  the  war— that  which,  I  am  sure,  the  people 
desire,  and  the  want  of  which  they  censure  — the  most  rapid  possible  concentration  of 

overwhelming  forces  by  the  United  States. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

M.  C.  MEIGS. 

[No.  81.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 
County  of  St.  Louis.  ) 

John  H.  Bowen  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  during  the  year  eighteen  hun- 
dred and  sixty-one,  and  while  General  J.  McKinstry  was  Quartermaster  at  St. 
Louis,  I  sold  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  property  of  different  kinds, 
for  the  use  of  the  army;  and  for  the  property  I  sold  to  the  Government,  I  re- 
ceived Quartermaster's  vouchers,  many  of  which  were  proved  up  before  the  Claim 
Commissioners  at  St.  Louis.    I  further  state  that  General  McKinstry  had  no  con- 
cern, or  interest,  whatever,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  any  of  my  transac- 
tions with  the  Government,  and  he  never,  to  my  knowledge  or  belief,  ever  ex- 
pected, or  received,  any  benefit,  or  pecuniary  advantage,  out  of  any  sale  that  1 
made  to  the  Government  aforesaid;  and  no  suggestion,  or  intimation,  ei 
rectly  or  indirectly,  was  ever  made  to  me  by  any  one  that  General  McKinstry « 
pected  to  receive  any  thing  from  me,  on  account  of  any  transaction  I 
the  Government,  and  certainly  he  never  did  received  any  thing. 

In  respect  to  the  $5,000,  alleged  to  have  been  retained  and  paid  to  me  by  C 
eral  McKinstry,  I  state  that,  after  I  sold  out  my  interest  to  Wheeler  in  t 
tract  of  Mr.  Jones  and  myself,  to  furnish  horses  to  the  Government,  I 
Mr.  Hahn,  cashier  of  General  McKinstry,  to  retain  $5,000  for  me,  when 
ment  on  that  contract  should  be  made-that  the  party  to  whom  1  had  . 


94 

interest  would  understand  it,  and  assent  to  it.  General  McKinstry  knew  noth- 
ing of  it,  so  far  as  I  know,  and  did  not  pay  me  the  $5,000,  and  had  nothing  to 
do  with  it.  The  arrangement  made  by  me  with  Mr.  Hahn  was  simply  a  matter 
of  convenience  to  me,  as  I  did  not  expect  to  be  present  when  payment  on  the 
horse  contract  would  be  made.  JOHN  H.  BOWEN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  2d  day  of  June,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


[No,  82.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,   ") 
County  of  St.  Louis,  j 

Joseph  W.  Parish,  being  duly  sworn,  says  :  I  reside  at  Peoria,  Illinois  ;  that 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  1861  I  received  an  order  or  requisition  from  General  J. 
McKinstry,  Chief  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  to  purchase  horses  for  a  regiment 
of  cavalry  being  recruited  at  Peoria,  which  regiment  was  subsequently  called 
the  "McKinstry  Guards."  At  the  time  I  received  said  order,  I  agreed  to  fur- 
nish said  horses  at  the  price  or  sum  of  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars,  each.  Under 
that  order  I  furnished  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-eight  horses,  and  received  from 
the  Post  Quartermaster  at  Peoria  a  voucher  for  said  horses,  which  was  after- 
wards approved  and  endorsed  by  Major  R.  Allen,  Chief  Quartermaster  at  St. 
Louis. 

I  further  state  that  General  McKinstry  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  said  regiment,  otherwise  than  to  give  the  order  aforesaid  for  the  purchase 
of  said  horses.  I  further  state  that  General  McKinstry  did  not  receive,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  any  benefit  or  advantage,  nor  does  he  expect  to  receive,  or 
any  one  for  him,  any  benefit  or  advantage  whatever,  on  account  of  my  said  sale 
of  horses  to  the  Government. 

J.  W.  PARISH. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  21st  day  of  May,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


[No.  83.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI. 
County  of  St.  Louis. 

David  D.  Chandler  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  he  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  J.  B.  Sickles  &  Co.,  engaged  in  the  saddlery  and  harness  business,  in  the  city 
of  St,  Louis,  Mo.  During  several  years  last  yast,  said  firm  has  endeavored  to 
obtain  contracts,  or  orders,  with  the  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis  to  furnish  the 
Government  with  articles  manufactured  and  kept  for  sale  by  said  firm  ;  but  not 
until  the  summer  of  the  year  1861,  could  said  firm  obtain  any  contract  or  orders 
for  furnishing  such  articles  to  the  Government.  I  further  state  that  about  the 
month  of  May,  1861,  and  while  General  J.  McKinstry  was  chief  Quartermaster 
at  St.  Louis,  said  firm  of  J.  B.  Sickles  &  Co.  obtained  an  order  to  furnish  such 
supplies  to  the  Government,  and  thereafter  said  firm  continued  to  furnish  such 
supplies  to  the  Government  during  the  remainder  of  the  time  that  General  Mc- 
Kinstry acted  as  chief  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis.  I  further  state  that  all  the 


95 


good  furnished  by  said  firm  to  the  Government,  during  the  time  General  M.-Kin- 
stry  acted  as  Quartermaster,  were  of  the  very  best  quality,  and  he,  in  every  in- 
stance, made  a  very  rigid  examination  of  the  goods,  and  would  not  receive  any- 
thing  that  was  not  of  the  proper  quality  and  description  required  for  the  sen  Lpe. 
During  the  time  General  McKinstry  acted  as  Quartermaster  said  firm  of  J.  B. 
Sickles  &  Co.  furnished  goods  to  the  Government,  to  the  amount  of  about  $125,- 
000,  and  on  all  of  which  said  firm  only  received  a  fair  mercantile  profit.  And 
I  further  state  that  said  firm  never  had  any  understanding  or  agreement  with 
General  McKinstry  by  which  he  was  to  receive  any  profit,  or  advantage,  from  the 
sales  of  said  firm  to  the  Government,  nor  did  General  McKinstry,  or  any  one  for 
or  in  his  behalf,  ever  receive,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  any  benefit  or  advan- 
tage from  the  sales  of  said  firm  to  the  Government. 

D.  D.  CHANDLER. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  IGth  day  of  May,  A.  D.,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


;I>    ) 
.     >  ss. 

LIB.  j 


[No.  84.] 
STATE  OF  MISSOURI, 

County  of  St.  Louis. 

John  K.  Field,  being  duly  sworn  says :  That  he  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Field  Brothers,  of  St.  Louis,  dealers  in  cloths  and  furnishing  goods.  This  affiant 
says  that  in  1861,  and  during  the  time  that  General  J.  McKinstry  was  «  hi.  I 
Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  the  firm  of  Field  Brothers  sold  cloths  and  blankets 
to  the  Government,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  over  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  which  goods  were  sold  at  a  time  when  there  was  a  great  and  very  press- 
ing demand  in  this  Department  for  clothing  and  blankets,  and  at  a  time  too  when 
the  Government  was  buying  almost  exclusively  on  credit,  no  funds  having  been 
provided  or  furnished  the  Quartermaster  for  such  purpose,  and  for  the  goods 
sold  by  Field  Brothers  they  only  realized  a  fair  mercantile  profit.  This  affiant 
further  says,  that  in  all  the  sales  made  by  said  firm,  General  McKinstry  was 
diligent  and  careful  in  examining  the  goods  and  requiring  that  they  should  be  of 
the  best  quality  suitable  for  the  service,  that  could  be  obtained  in  this  market. 
This  affiant  further  states,  that  Gen.  McKinstry  never  received  or  realized,  i-itln-r 
directly  or  indirectly,  any  profit  or  advantage  whatever  from  or  on  account  of 
anv  of  the  sales  made  by  said  firm  of  Field  Brothers.  Bancroft  I 

JOHN  K.  FIELD. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  21st  day  of  May,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM. 
U.  S.  Com'r.  for  Mo. 

[No.  85.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,   )  w 
County  of  St.  Louis,  j 

Anzyl  Phillips,  being  duly  sworn,  says:  That  during  the  year  1861,  and 
while  General  J.  McKinstry  was  acting  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  I  made  sales 
to  the  Government  of  horses  and  mules,  and  received  from  Gem.  McKinstry 
Quartermaster's  vouchers  for  the  stock  I  sold  to  the  Government,  and  a  portion 
of  said  vouchers  were  filed  and  proved  up  before  the  Commissioners  of  Claims, 


96 

composed  of  Messrs.  Davis,  Holt  and  Campbell.  This  affiant  further  states  that 
Gen.  McKinstry  had  no  interest  or  concern,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  any 
contract  or  dealing  that  I  had  with  the  Government.  My  business  and  transac- 
tions with  the  Government  were  conducted  openly  and  in  the  ordinary  manner 
of  such  transactions,  and  Gen.  McKinstry  simply  attended  to  the  interests  of  the 
Government,  without  having  any  coricern  or  interest  whatever  in  my  transactions. 

ANSYL  PHILLIPS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  in  the  District  of  Missouri,  this  8th   day 
of  May,  A.  D.  1862.  JOHN  M.  KRUM. 

U.  S.  Com'r.  for  Mo. 


\'  \ss. 

L1S.  ) 


[No.  86.] 

STATE  or  MISSOURI, 
County  of  St.  Louis. 

James  F.  Foss,  being  duly  sworn,  says  :  That  during  the  year  1861,  I  was 
clerk  in  the  Planters'  House,  in  St.  Louis,  and  am  still  so  employed,  I  remember 
D.  Pratt,  who  gave  evidence  before  the  Van  Wyck  Congressional  Committee.  Said 
Pratt  was  a  boarder  at  the  Planters'  House  during  the  fall  of  1861,  but  as  he  failed 
to  pay  his  board  bills  he  was  turned  away  from  the  House.  I  further  state  that  at 
no  time  during  the  year  1861  did  Gen,  McKinstry  have  rooms  or  lodgings  at  the 
Planters'  House.  He  had  his  own  house  in  the  city,  and  he  and  his  family  occu- 
pied it.  The  statement  of  said  Pratt,  before  said  Committee,  in  regard  to  Gen. 
McKinstry's  having  lodgings  at  the  Planters'  House  is  wholly  unfounded. 

JAS.  F.  FOSS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  28th  of  May,  A.  D.  1861. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM. 
U.  S.  Com'r.  for  Mo. 


[No.  87.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,  ) 
County  of  St.  Louis.  5 

P.  A.  Child  and  Elon  G.  Pratt  being  duly  sworn,  say  that  they  are  members  of  the 
firm  of  Child,  Pratt  &  Fox,  doing  business  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  These  affiants 
say  that  General  J.  McKinstry,  late  chief  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  never  was  inter- 
ested, either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  the  profits,  or  otherwise  in  any  sales  of  supplies 
to  the  Government  made  by  our  firm  j  nor  did  said  McKinstry  ever  receive  any 
compensation  from  said  firm,  in  any  form  or  mode,  either  directly  or  indirectly.  These 
affiants  further  say,  that  it  was  never  hinted  or  suggested  by  any  one  that  we  should 
allow  or  contribute  anything  to  said  McKinstry,  or  to  any  one  in  his  behalF,  or  for  his 
benefit,  nor  was  anything  of  the  kind  ever  done  by  said  firm.  These  affiants  say,  that 
any  suggestion,  intimation,  or  statement,  that  General  McKinstry  ever  realized,  or  re- 
ceived, either  directly  or  indirectly,  any  money,  property,  benefit,  or  advantage,  from 
Child,  Pratt  &  Fox,  or  from  either  member  of  said  firm,  on  account  of,  or  by  reason 
of  any  sale  of  merchandize  by  said  firm  to  the  Government,  is  wholly  untrue.  These 
affiants  further  say,  that  the  bad  shoes  mentioned  in  the  testimony  of  O.  D.  Filley,  p. 
— ,  were  immediately  replaced  by  a  good  article,  by  said  firm,  as  soon  as  we  were  in- 
formed that  hey  were  of  bad  quality.  When  the  shoes  that  turned  out  to  be  bad  were 
purchased,  they  were  supposed  to  be  good,  and  the  usual  market  value  was  paid  for 
them  by  said  firm,  and  we  supposed  and  believed  at  the  time  that  said  shoes  were  good, 


97 


and  as  soon  as  we  were  informed  of  their  bad  quality  we  replaced  them  without  any 
loss  to  the  Government.  Our  partner,  E.  W.  Fox,  is  now  absent,  or  he  would  join  in 
this  affidavit.  p  J 


A 


ELON  G.  PRATT. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  13th  day  of  June,  1862.  In  witness  whereof, 
I  have  hereto  set  my  hand  and  notarial  seal,  the  day  and  year  last  above  written. 

_  LEOPOLD  WOLFF. 

[No.  88.] 

STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 

County  of  St.  Louis,  )  ** 

H.  W.  G.  Clements  being  duly  sworn,  upon  his  oath  says  :  I  acted  as  chief 
clerk  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  under  General  J.  McKinstry,  up- 
wards of  ten  years,  last  past,  and  I  was  chief  clerk  under  him  during  all  the 
time  he  acted  as  chief  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  I  am  familiar  with  the 
whole  routine  of  business  transacted  by  the  Quartermaster.  During  the  spring, 
summer  and  early  ^art  of  the  fall  of  1861,  while  the  military  organizations  were 
in  progress  in  the  Western  Department,  the  requisitions  and  orders  upon  the 
Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  to  furnish  supplies  of  every  description,  transporta- 
tion —  in  short  everything  necessary  for  the  outfit  of  an  army  —  were  immensely 
large,  very  urgent,  and  often  imperatively  required  to  be  furnished  in  the  short- 
est possible  time.  Hence,  the  labors  of  the  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis,  during 
the  time  mentioned,  were  suddenly  increased  beyond  all  former  precedents,  and 
his  time  and  energies,  as  well  as  of  his  clerks,  were  taxed  to  their  utmost  endu- 
rance. General  McKinstry  gave  personal  attention  and  supervision,  early  and 
late,  to  the  business  transacted  in  his  office.  The  official  reports  of  General 
McKinstry  of  his  transactions  show  the  enormous  operations  of  the  Government 
in  this  department,  between  the  months  of  May  and  October  of  the  year  1861, 
and  the  Quartermaster  had  no  assistants  assigned  him,  except  near  the  close  of 
his  administration,  and  the  accuracy  of  his  books,  accounts  and  reports  to  the 
Department  are  evidence  of  the  labor,  care  and  watchful  vigilance  of  the  Quar- 
termaster, in  the  discharge  of  his  varied,  intricate  and  onerous  duties. 

I  further  state  that  when  General  McKinstry  was  ordered  to  the  field,  in  Sep- 
tember last,  he  left  his  clerks  (myself  included)  laboriously  and  diligently  em- 
ployed in  bringing  up  his  accounts.  When  the  Van  Wyck  Investigating  Commit- 
tee was  at  St.  Louis,  I  addressed  three  communications  to  said  Committee,  (<  i«  n- 
eral  McKinstry  having  then  joined  his  command,)  and  in  other  ways  offered  said 
Committee  every  facility  to  make  a  full  examination  into  the  transactions  of 
General  McKinstry  as  chief  Quartermaster  at  this  post.  I  was  familiar  with  the 
transactions  the  said  Committee  mention  in  their  report,  and  could  have  shown 
them  by  the  orders,  correspondence,  and  other  vouchers,  on  file  in  the  office  of 
General  McKinstry,  that  the  evidence  heard  by  said  Committee,  which  reflected 
on  the  official  conduct  of  General  McKinstry,  was  wholly  false  and  unfounded. 
Notwithstanding  my  offer  to  said  Committee  to  furnish  them  any  information  or 
explanation  they  might  desire,  I  was  not  asked  by  said  Committee  to  make  any 
explanations,  or  give  information  in  respect  to  General  McKinstry's  official  trans- 
actions, except  in  regard  to  a  few  very  unimportant  matters.  They  did  not  in- 
terrogate me  in  regard  to  subjects  which  they  have  given  such  prominence  in  their 
report.  And  so,  in  regard  to  the  Commissioners  on  Claims,  although  I  was  call- 


98 

ed  on  by  claimants  to  give  evidence  in  regard  to  claims,  I  was  not  interrogated 
by  the  Commissioners  as  to  any  of  General  McKinstry's  transactions  which  they 
have  criticised  with  so  much  freedom.  H.  W.  G.  CLEMENTS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  May,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM, 
U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


STATE  OF  MISSOURI,    ) 
tis.  ) 


[No.  89.] 


County  of  St.  Louis. 

William  L.  Hahn  being  duly  sworn,  on  his  oath  says  :  I  have  been  employed 
in  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  under  General  J.  McKinstry,  since  the  15th 
day  of  May,  A.  D.  1856,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  that  time  I  have  acted  as  cash- 
ier, and  disbursed  the  public  moneys  in  charge  of  the  Quartermaster,  and  kept 
his  cash  account.  I  stood  in  the  same  relation  to  General  McKinstry,  and  acted 
in  the  same  capacity,  while  he  was  acting  chief  Quartermaster  at  St.  Louis.  I 
am  entirely  familiar  with  his  manner  and  method  of  conducting  business.  He 
has  always  been  careful  and  particular  in  his  transactions  in  behalf  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, giving  his  personal  attention  to  the  same  in  all  cases,  when  it  has  been 
physically  in  his  power  to  do  so,  and  he  has  always  required  that  the  clerks  em- 
ployed in  his  department  should  give  careful  personal  attention  to  the  duties  as- 
signed them.  No  system  or  method  of  keeping  Quartermaster's  books  is  pre- 
scribed by  the  Army  Regulations ;  yet  General  McKinstry  has  always  kepr  reg- 
ular mercantile  accounts  since  I  have  been  employed  under  him.  I  have  had 
charge  of  his  books  of  account,  including  the  cash  book,  and  made  the  entries 
in  them,  or  caused  them  to  be  made  by  my  assistants.  The  entries  in  those  books 
were  made  at  the  time  the  several  transactions  in  the  Quartermaster's  depart- 
ment occurred,  and  just  as  they  occurred,  and  not  otherwise,  and  no  changes 
have  ever  been  made  in  these  accounts. 

All  of  the  entries  and  accounts,  aforesaid,  are  fully  and  properly  entered  — 
plainly  and  distinctly  —  so  that  any  one  at  all  conversant  with  the  keeping  of  ac- 
counts, including  property  or  merchandize  .accounts  and  cash  book,  can  readily 
understand  them.  No  transactions  relating  to  either  property  or  cash  have  ever 
been  "loosely  entered"  in  the  books  and  accounts  of  General  McKinstry.  In 
corroboration  of  this,  Mr.  Benson  S,  Hopkins,  lately  employed  by  the  Commis- 
sioners on  Claims  at  St.  Louis  as  "  an  expert  in  mercantile  accounts,"  stated  to 
me  that,  at  the  request  of  said  Commission,  he  examined  the  cash  book  kept  by 
General  McKinstry,  particularly  in  respect  to  the  moneys  borrowed  at  St.  Louis 
from  the  banks  and  individuals,  and  he  said  that  he  found  the  entries  of  the 
loans  properly  entered,  and  that  the  entries  are  made  just  as  he  would  have  made 
them.  Said  Hopkins,  moreover,  said,  that  he  never  reported  that  he  found  any 
irregularities  in  these  entries,  nor  that  the  moneys  borrowed,  as  aforesaid,  were 
"  loosely  entered." 

This  affiant  further  states  that,  after  the  President's  proclamation  calling  for 
troops,  and  from  the  time  that  they  began  to  assemble  at  St.  Louis,  the  business 
jn  the  Quartermaster's  department  suddenly  increased,  and  so  many  and  great 
were  the  requisitions  for  army  supplies  at  St.  Louis  that  the  Quartermaster's  of- 
fice was  literally  besieged  for  several  months,  early  and  late,  by  those  engaged 
in  furnishing  such  supplies,  and  those  receiving  them,  for  distribution.  I  esti- 


ess 


99 

mate  that  au  average  of  not  less  than  four  hundred  (400)  persons  had  busin 
transactions  each  day,  at  the  office  of  General  McKinstry  at  St.  Louis,  from  Aug- 
ust 1,  to  September  30,  inclusive,  in  the  year  1861.  During  this  great  rush  and 
press  of  business,  General  McKinstry  had  no  assistant  Quartermasters  assigned 
to  assist  him,  except  occasionally,  for  a  short  time  ;  but  he  and  his  clerks  attend- 
ed to  the  whole  of  it,  and  to  do  the  necessary  labor  General  McKinstry  and  his 
clerks  were  kept  at  their  respective  desks  from  morning  till  night,  and  often  half 
the  night.  And  I  do  further  state  that,  from  my  position,  and  having  in  charge 
the  books  and  accounts  of  General  McKinstry,  and  being  charged  with  the  re- 
sponsible duty  of  receiving  and  paying  out  all  moneys  entrusted  to  the  Quarter- 
master, I  had  the  very  best  means  of  discovering  any  peculations,  or  fraudulent 
transactions,  in  the  department,  if  there  had  been  any  ;  and  I  here  state  that  I 
never,  at  any  time,  discovered,  or  suspected,  General  McKinstry  to  be  concerned, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  any  peculation,  fraudulent,  or  improper  transac- 
tion whatever  ;  and  I  do  not  believe,  and  have  never  seen  or  heard  anything  to 
induce  me  to  suspect  that  General  McKinstry  ever  realized,  or  received,  or  that 
he  expects  to  realize  or  receive  from  any  one,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  any 
pecuniary  benefit,  or  advantage,  by  reason  of  any  transaction  in  the  Quarter- 
master's department  while  he  was  chief  thereof. 

I  further  state,  that  I  have  read  the  printed  report  of  the  Van  Wyck  In\ 
gating  Committee,  and  the  testimony  accompanying  said  report,  and  especially 
that  portion  purporting  to  give  my  testimony  before  said  Committee.  The  said 
Committee  omitted  to  publish  a  large  portion  of  my  testimony  before  them, 
which  was  important,  and  explanatory  of  many  of  the  transactions  reviewed  and 
criticised  by  said  Committee.  Said  Committee,  in  their  said  report,  have  garbled 
and  misstated  portions  of  my  testimony.  To  undertake  to  correct  the  misstate- 
ments  and  omissions  of  said  Committee,  in  respect  to  my  own  examination  be- 
fore them,  would  swell  the  statement  to  an  undue  length.  I,  therefore,  speak  of 
only  two  or  three  of  the  most  glaring  instances  of  misstatement  and  misrepre- 
sentation in  said  report. 

First.  In  respect  to  the  horse  contract  of  Jones  &  Bowen,  and  the  retention 
of  $5,000,  spoken  of  by  said  Committee  :  It  is  not  true  that  General  McKinstry 
retained  $5,000  for  Bowen.  The  facts  are  simply  as  follows  :  Jones  &  Bowen 
were  responsible  to  the  Government  for  the  fulfilment  of  their  contract  with  it. 
After  the  contract  had  been  fulfilled,  and  but  a  few  days  before  payment  on  the 
same  was  made,  Mr.  Bowen  informed  me  that  he  had  sold  his  interest  in  said 
contract  to  Wheeler  for  $5,000,  and  requested  me,  if  he  was  not  present  when 
payment  was  made,  to  hold  that  amount  for  him  ;  that  the  party  to  whom  he  sold 
his  interest  understood  it  and  would  assent  to  it.  I,  soon  afterwards,  was  in- 
formed by  Messrs.  Thomson  &  Wheeler,  or  by  one  of  them,  that  such  was  the  un- 
derstanding between  them  and  Bowen.  General  McKinstry  knew  nothing  of 
this  and  a°s  there  seemed  nothing  improper  in  the  request,  (as  there  was  noth- 
incr  'improper  in  fact,)  I  did  not  inform  General  McKinstry  [of  the  matter. 
The  payment  for  horses  and  mules  delivered  under  the  Jones  &  Bowen  con- 
tract was  made  in  six  per  cent.  Treasury  notes,  drawn  to  the  order  of  General 
McKinstry,  and  were  endorsed  by  him.  I  had  no  concern  or  interest  in  the  mat- 
ter and  what  I  did  was  simply  a  matter  of  accommodation  to  the  parties.  The 
Government  got  the  property,  and  the  parties  who  delivered  it  got  their  pay  for 
it,  at  the  contract  price  and  no  more;  and  the  $5,000  was  paid  to  Mr.  Bowen 
himself,  and  was  not  retained  or  kept  by  McKinstry. 
7 


100 


Second.  In  respect  to  the  bid  and  testimony  of  Hood :  His  bid  was  made 
under  advertisement  for  picket  pins,  ring  bolts,  &c.  They  were  chiefly  wanted 
for  frontier  service,  and  to  be  transported  a  long  distance;  and  as  the  cost  of 
transportation  was  an  important  item,  the  selection  of  articles  of  a  proper  size 
and  make  was  important.  I  called  on  Mr.  Hood,  and  requested  samples  to  be 
sent  to  the  Quartermaster's  office.  He  sent  a  sample  of  his  picket  pins  only, 
which  were  without  swivel  heads ;  on  being  examined  by  General  McKinstry, 
was  rejected  because  he  deemed  picket  pins  of  the  sample  sent  not  suitable  for 
the  service. 

In  respect  to  wages  paid  to  deck  hands  on  steamboats  in  the  service  of  the 
Government,  General  McKinstry  paid  but  $15  per  month  to  deck  hands.  If  more 
was  paid  to  this  class  of  employe'es  in  the  Western  Department,  it  was  by  some 
other  Quartermaster  or  officer.  The  accounts  of  General  McKinstry  show  dis- 
tinctly the  wages  paid  to  employees  of  the  Government. 

1  further  state  that,  after  General  McKinstry  was  ordered  to  the  field,  I  wa« 
diligently  engaged  in  bringing  up  the  immense  mass  of  accounts  for  transmis- 
sion to  the  Department  at  Washington,  embracing  the  unusually  large  transac- 
tions of  General  McKinstry :  when,  about  the  13th  day  of  November  last,  I  was 
arrested,  under  some  military  order,  and  held  in  confinement  at  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, and  was  not  allowed  access  to  the  books  or  accounts  of  General  McKin- 
stry until  I  was  released  in  the  month  of  January  last.  If  I  had  been  called 
upon,  by  either  the  Van  Wyck  Committee  or  by  the  Commissioners  of  Claims, 
at  St.  Louis,  I  could  have  explained  and  presented  the  facts  of  every  transaction 
that  said  Committees  criticised  in  their  respective  reports,  but  I  was  not  re- 
quested or  allowed  to  do  so.  WM.  L.  HAHN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  2d  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1862. 

JOHN  M.  KRUM,  U.  S.  Com'r  for  Mo. 


[No.  90.] 

Extract  from  Cash  Book  kept  by  J.  McKinstry,  A.  Q.  M. 
CASH  ACCOUNT,  1861. 

Aug.  29  Received  from  St.  Louis  Building  and  Savings  Ass'n.,  B.  F $10,000  00 

"     "  '          "      Reed&Co.,B.F 2,00000 

"     "  f          "      Exchange  Bank,  B.  F 50,00000 

«     "  '          "          "          "          Coin 12,00000 

"     "  '          "          "          "          Coin  or  N.  Y.  Exchange. 14,283  61 

"    30  '          "      Bridge,  Beach  &  Co.,  B.  F 25,00000 

"     31  '          "      Exchange  Bank,  B.  F 10,00000 

"     "  "          "      Building  &  Savings  Association  account 97,235  06 

"      "  "          "      Boatmen's  Savings  Institution. 50,000  00 

"     < '  '          "      U.  S.  Treasury,  Treasury  Notes 700,000  00 

Sept.    4  '          "      P.  A.  Ladue  Treasurer 10,00000 

"6  '  P.  A.  Ladue,  Treasurer -•• '. 20,00000 

"7  '  '      St.  Louis  Building  and  Savings  Association 10,00000 

Bridge,  Beach  &  Co 25,000  00 

10  <  <      Robert  Hay,  B.  F 42,00000 

12  '  '      St.  Louis  Building  and  Savings  Association 10,00000 

14  '  '      Exchange  Bank,  coin 12,00000 

Exchange  in  N.  Y. 14,283  61 

Reed&  Co.,  B.  F« 2,500  00 

McMechan  &  Ballantine,  B.  F 2,500  00 

Partridge  &  Co.,  B.  F 5,000  00 

18  '  '      Boatmen's  Savings  Institution,  B.  F • 25,000  00 

19  <  <      U.  S.  Treasury,  Treasury  drafts   100,00000 

St.  Louis  Building  and  Savings  Association 131,110  77 

24          "  '      Webb  &  Kaime,  B.  F. 5,00000 

Bank  of  State  of  Mo. 250,000  00 


101 

Oct.     3,  Received  from  Merchants'  Bank,  B.  F. 75  000  00 

"      Southern  Bank.B.  F 10 000  00 

"      Mechanics' Bank,  B.  F 36*000  00 

Bank  oi  Missouri,  B.  F  IS'.OOO  00 

[No.  91.] 
SlR  :  ST.  Lot-is,  Mo.,  July  llth,  1861. 

You  will  proceed  immediately  to  Rolla,  Mo.,  as  agent  of  the  Quartermaster's 
Department,  and  report  for  duty  at  that  point  to  the  commanding  officer.  Lieut . 
Vogel,  Mo.  Volunteers,  A.  A.  Q.  M.  at  Rolla,  has  been  directed  to  turn  over  the 
public  property  in  his  possession  to  you. 

In  assuming  the  duties  to  which  you  arc  hereby  app<-;  ir  experience,  1 

trust,  makes  you  fully  aware  of  the  responsibility  incurred.  I  shall  expect  you 
to  give  your  undivided  attention  to  the  duties  of  your  Department,  and  you  will 
require  the  same  industry  and  fidelity  on  the  part  of  all  that  may  be  placed  un- 
der your  orders  or  direction. 

You  will  report  promptly  to  this  office  all  matters  that  are  connei-t.-d  \\ith  and 
relating  to  the  business  of  this  Department.  In  the  transaction  of  your  business 
you  will  adhere  strictly  to  the  rules  laid  down  in  the  Army  Regulations,  in  all 
cases,  unless  directed  to  do  otherwise  by  your  commanding  officer,  in  which 
case  it  will  be  proper  for  you  to  respectfully  request  the  order  to  be  put  in 
writing,  and  report  immediately  to  this  office  for  the  information  of  the  Quar- 
termaster General  at  Washington. 

Remember,  that  the  force  you  are  called  upon  to  assist  is,  for  the  most  part,  a 
hastily  organized  one,  and  ignorant  of  the  duties  of  your  Department.    Patience 
and  oft  repeated  explanations  will  be  necessary  in  your  official  intercourse  with 
them.    Take  care  that  no  just  complaint  be  made  against  you. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obd't  serv't, 

J.  McKINSTRY,  Bvt.  Major  and  A.  Q.  M. 
Mr.  THOMAS  O'BRIEN,  Agent  Q.  M.  Department)  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

[No.  'J2.J 
SIR:  Lot i.<,  February  1,  1862. 

At  the  time  General  McKingtry  was  placed  under  arrest,  in  the  early  part  of 
November  last,  the  clerks  in  his  employ  were  busily  engaged  in  preparing  his 
reports,  papers,  &c.,  for  transmission  to  the  proper  Department  at  Washington. 
All  the  books  and  papers  pertaining  to  the  Quartermaster's  office,  while  under 
the  administration  of  General  McKinstry  were  seized  at  the  same  time,  under 
military  authority,  by  the  Government.  All  of  the  clerks  in  his  employ  were 
arrested  at  the  same  time,  and  imprisoned  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  where  they  are 
still  detained.  Although  General  McKinstry  has  been  anxious  to  render  his  ac- 
counts, and  make  his  report  as  Quartermaster,  he  has  been  hitherto,  and  is  now, 
prevented  from  doing  so  by  the  military  orders  of  the  Government.  Hit  books, 
papers,  and  large  iron  safe,  used  by  him  while  Quartermaster,  are  in  a  building 
that  he  occupied,  and  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  present  Quartermaster,  in 
this  city.  General  McKinstry  is  confined  at  the  Arsenal,  distant  two  miles  and 
upwards  from  his  papers,  and  his  clerks  are  confined  ten  miles  from  the  city,  at 
Jefferson  Barracks. 

On  the  23d  December  last,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  General  Meigs,  Quartermas- 
ter General,  on  this  subject,  an  extract  from  which  letter  I  herewith  enclose, 
markod  A. 


102 

On  the  9th  of  January  (ultimo)  I  addressed  a  letter,  on  the  same  subject,  to 
the  President,  asking  that  General  McKinstry's  limits  of  arrest  might  be  extend- 
ed to  the  city,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  render  his  accounts.  This  was  written  in 
anticipation  that  his  books  and  papers  would  be  restored  to  him,  in  accordance 
with  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  S.  T.  Glover,  in  his  letter  of  3d  January,  ad- 
dressed to  Gen.  Halleck.  A  copy  of  Mr.  Glover's  letter  I  also  enclose,  marked  B. 

This  letter  of  Mr.  Glover  I  delivered  to  General  Halleck,  in  person,  and  was 
informed  by  him,  that  up  to  that  time  he  had  not  been  entrusted  with  any  au- 
thority or  discretion,  in  the  matter  of  the  arrest  of  General  McKinstry,  or  the 
seizure  of  his  papers,  &c. ;  that  in  fact  he  (General  H.)  did  not  know,  officially, 
of  the  arrest  or  seizure  of  either.  He  said  he  would  immediately  transmit  Mr. 
Glover's  note  to  the  War  Department  at  Washington. 

After  waiting  a  reasonable  time  for  a  reply,  or  some  action  in  regard  to  it,  and 
without  receiving  notice  of  either,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  General  Halleck,  on 
the  23d  ultimo,  in  respect  to  the  same  matter,  and  I  enclose  herewith  a  copy  of 
his  reply  thereto,  marked  C.  This  letter,  or  notice,  from  General  Halleck,  is  the 
first  step  that  has  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  restore  to  General  McKinstry 
his  books  and  papers.  As  before  stated,  the  clerks  of  the  late  Quartermaster 
are  still  confined  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  and  no  order  in  respect  to  their  release 
has,  as  yet,  been  made,  so  far  as  I  know.  General  Halleck  must  have  supposed 
that  General  McKinstry  would  be  enabled  to  render  his  accounts  if  he  had  per- 
mission to  take  his  books  and  papers  to  the  Arsenal.  Any  one  who  has  know- 
ledge of  the  limited  quarters  assigned  to  General  McKinstry  ought  to  know  that 
it  is  no  place  to  send  valuable  and  important  papers.  It  is  neither  a  safe  place 
for  such  papers  nor  a  convenient  place  to  examine  and  arrange  them.  Besides, 
it  would  be  neither  wise  nor  prudent  to  transport  a  cart  load  of  valuable  books 
and  papers  from  a  safe  depository  two  miles  to  an  unsafe  one,  and  I  do  not  sup 
pose  General  McKinstry  will  be  guilty  of  any  such  folly,  even  if  he  should  be  al- 
lowed the  privilege  of  superintending,  in  person,  such  a  work,  which  privilege, 
however,  has  not  been  extended  to  him. 

But,  even  were  it  prudent,  or  practicable,  to  remove  the  books  and  papers  re- 
ferred to,  of  what  advantage  to  General  McKinstry  can  their  removal  to  the  Ar- 
senal be,  when  his  former  clerks,  (on  whose  assistance  in  rendering  his  accounts 
he  is  dependent,)  are  imprisoned  ten  miles  off,  at  Jefferson  Barracks  ?  My  ob- 
ject in  addressing  you  this  communication  and  statement  of  facts,  is  to  ask  that 
the  limits  of  arrest  of  General  McKinstry,  and  of  his  late  clerks,  may  be  exten- 
ded, so  as  to  allow  them  access  to  the  office  where  the  books  and  papers  of  the 
late  Quartermaster  now  are,  in  this  city. 

I  take  this  occasion,  also,  to  enclose  an  extract  from  an  order  issued  from  your 
Department,  on  30th  November  last,  directed  to  Colonel  Totten,  and  afterwards 
transferred  to  Mr.  S.  T.  Glover  —  which  extract  is  marked  D.  General  McKin- 
stry did  not  know  of  the  existence  of  such  an  order  until  the  28th  December 
last,  when  the  extract  was  furnished  by  Major  Lee,  Judge  Advocate  General.  I 
have  now  to  state  that  no  change  whatever  has  ever  been  made  in  regard  to  the 
limits  of  arrest  of  General  McKinstry.  His  limits  have  been,  since  his  arrest  on 
the  13th  November,  1861,  the  (( Arsenal  and  Arsenal  grounds."  He  is  still  there ! 
He  has  never  been  invited,  by  any  one,  "  to  explain,  if  he  sees  jit.,  any  account 
or  transaction  that  seems  to  need  it." 

Hoping  soon  to  receive  a  favorable  reply  to  this  application,  I  remain,  respect'ly^ 

(Signed)  JOHN  M.  KRUM. 

To  Hon.  E.  M.  STAKTOK,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C. 


